Progress to Heston; Googoo Gaagaa falters

Heston Blue Chip continued with his late-season surge as he captured the $270,000 Progress Pace in 1:49 on Sunday night at Dover Downs. Driver Tim Tetrick and the American Ideal colt controlled the race, setting fractions of :25.2, :54 and 1:21.1.

 

There was plenty of Matron Stakes action on the card as well, and in the 3-Year-Old Colt Trot the Jimmy Takter Stable gave Googoo Gaagaa a tough journey as the Takter-trained Little Brown Fox, driven by Yannick Gingras, parked Googoo Gaagaa and driver Corey Callahan. Eventually, Takter's Guccio, the Hambletonian runner-up, won over his stablemate Uncle Peter 1:53, with Little Brown Fox third and Googoo Gaagaa sixth.

 

Callahan was at a loss to the way his trotter raced. "He really didn't have anything. It's so unlike Googoo Gaagaa, he had no trot when we were racing on the backstretch.”

 

As for the Progress Pace, the off-the-pace specialist Thinking Out Loud was racing seventh at the halfway mark but put forth one of his big rallies and got up for second while Bettor's Edge took third. Sweet Lou had a second-over trip but couldn't capitalize, finishing fifth.

 

Ken Jacobs owns Heston Blue Chip while Linda Toscano trains the colt, who last month won the Breeders Crown.