Freshmen If I Can Dream, Explosive Mater win Matron elims

November 09, 2008

If I Can Dream and Explosive Matter reset world records for age, gender and gait, and Margarita Momma entered the track record book, while Ron Pierce drove four winners on a giant nine Matron Stakes elimination card on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Dover Downs. Tracy Brainard trained three winners, all for Bulletproof Enterprises; Adam Victory & Son added two Matron victories.

In Matron filly elims, the winners were trotters Honorable Daughter, One Tough Girl and Margarita Momma, and pacers Perfectionist, Hawaiian Drink and If I Can Dream. In colt divisions, pacing winners were: If I Can Dream and Schoolkids while Explosive Matters and Cesar A Blue Chip took the first season elims.

Explosive Matter, who is unbeaten in his first three career races, captured the $40,963 Matron Colt Trot in a world record 1:55. The son of Cantab Hall -Fireworks Hanover outdistancing runner-up BF Quotable (David Miller) while Salutation Hanover (Dave Palone) finished third. The 1:55 clocking erased the former world mark held by Adrian Chip and Lear Jetta of 1:55.3. Noel Daley conditions Explosive Matter for Adam Victor & Son Stable of New York City.

Blue Chip Bloodstock, Lindy Racing Stable are partnered with Adam Victor & Son in the winner of the other $40,963 division, Cesar A Blue Chip (Andover Hall-Glad You Asked), who scored in a career-best 1:57. Ron Pierce drove both winning trotters. Select Yankee (Miller) and Road Rash (Jimmy Takter) were second and third, respectively.

Pierce won his fourth of the night in a $25,125 Filly Trot elim steering the Yankee Glide-Sheena Hall filly, Margarita Momma, owned by Jorgen Jahre and trainer Jan Johnson, home in 1:56.2 to equal the track record set in 2006 Matron by Michelle's Angel.

Paolo Rosanelli and John Siena's Honorable Daughter led off the stakes card with a 1:57.2 victory. Hall of Famer John Campbell overcame a post eight start as the Malabar Man-Honorable Mother filly won for the seventh time in eight career appearances, flashing an impressive performance in the lane to draw off from All Star Hanover (Miller) and Valeris (Jacqui Ingrassia), the second and third-place finishers.

One Tough Girl, a sister to One Tough Lass, who sold for $475,000 at the Harrisburg sale this year, rolled home a 1:58 winner in another $25,125 distaff trot. I'm A Ridge Girl (Pierce) and Allamerican Phoebe (Yannick Gingras) were second and third, respectively.

In a $42,975 Colt Pace elim, If I Can Dream (Western Hanover-Arterra) broke the former world record of 1:51.1 first set by Artsplace in 1990 and equaled by Badlands Nitro in the Matron eliminations last year by two-fifths of a second. George Brennan guided If I Can Dream, holding off fast-finishing and previously unbeaten Barber Pole (Tim Tetrick) in 1:50.4. Lightning Elvis (Cat Manzi) was the show horse.

Schoolkids, trained by Tracy Brainard for Bulletproof Enterprises, was one of Tim Tetrick's four winners on the card. The odds-on favorite bested McArdles Star (Daniel Dube) and Clear Vision (Sears) in 1:52.2 to win another of the $42,975 colt pace divisions. Schoolkinds, an I Am A Fool colt from Game Bunny, has won seven of 13 outings.

Brittany Farms' homebred Perfectionist (Western Ideal-Sounds Perfect) was all by herself in a 1:52.3 performance in a $34,950 Matron Filly Pace elim. That's The Plan (Brian Sears) finished second with Pomptuous (Kevin Sizer) the show horse.

Hawaiian Drink, another Brainard-conditioned for Bulletproof Enterprises winner, zipped past pace setting Ginger And Fred (Tetrick) on the last turn and poured it on for a 1:52.4 score in a second $34,950 filly section. Up Front Noel (Andrew McCarthy) beat Indulge Me (Mike Lachance) for place honors.

The top eight from each of the four Matron divisions return next Saturday for finals.
The Matron Colt Pace has a $257,850 purse; the colt trot will go for $245,775. In Filly finals, the trot goes for $226,125 and the pace for $209,709. (Dover Downs)

« Back