Big winners in Buckettes

Love On The Rocks led wire to wire to win the first of two $50,000 Buckette divisions for 3-year-old filly trotters at the Delaware (Ohio) County Fairgrounds Wednesday afternoon. The second split went to Bee Line, who drew clear down the stretch to win for the fifth time this year.

Driven by John Campbell, Love On The Rocks reached the wire in 1:58 on a crisp, cool day. The win was Campbell's second on the program, and including one earlier and being two-for-two on Tuesday, he now has won four straight.

Campbell had the rail with the 6-5 favorite Love On The Rocks, and his job was likely made easier when 9-5 second-choice Heather's Dream made a break at the start. Love On The Rocks set fractions of :29.1, :59.1 and 1:29.4, reaching that three-quarter clocking with Hoyrood and Luc Ouellette alongside after making a three-wide move. Love On The Rocks rebuffed that challenge and trotted home in :28.1 to draw clear from his competition.

Holyrood held for second with Winning Sister and driver David Miller third.

"She felt strong and trotted all the way through to the wire," said Campbell, who was driving the filly for the first time this year after Cat Manzi had been in the sulky her previous nine starts.

Trainer Chuck Sylvester and partner Neal Goldman purchased Love on The Rocks as a yearling for $23,000. The daughter of Donerail is out of the Armbro Goal mare Long Term Goal. The win was just her second of the year in 10 starts, with her lone previous score being an elimination of the Helen Smith at Freehold. She now has career earnings of more than $65,000.

Luc Ouellette was in the bike behind the even-money choice Bee Line, who stepped away from the pocket-sitting 6-5 second-choice Velma K in the lane to post the 1:56.4 victory. Baby American was third.

A daughter of Self Possessed, Bee Line is trained by Chris Beaver and owned by Johanna Beaver. Earlier this year she posted a 10-1 upset in the $503,000 Elegantimage final at Woodbine. She now has career earnings of more than $366,000.

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