Wholeftthegateopen closes door on Dover rivals

Buster Mee N, a 25-1 shot won the $17,000 feature, Enessee Ernie won a $16,500 trot, and Rare Bunny set a new North American record for the five-eighths mile distance winning one of four $10,000 Go The Distance II races on a longshot-filled Saturday at Dover Downs, where Mike Cole drove his 1,000th winner.

In the feature race, Wholeftthegateopen and Mike Cole cut fast early fractions, and at the three-quarters, in 1:23.2, there were three horses wide, with a fourth joining the melee as they turned for home. Buster Mee N, apparently locked-in, was able to move up along the inside, and Brandon Givens sent the Live Or Die-Three Mothers gelding through the "Dover Inside Drive," and blasted to a 1:52.4 victory. The Midnight Owl N (Jon Roberts) won a four-horse photo for second place. Eviction Notice N (Vic Kirby) finished third.

Enessee Ernie, last in a nine-horse field on the final turn, stormed five wide turning for home and overpowered his rivals for a 1:58 victory for his second win of the year. Bobby Myers owns and trains the 5-year-old Enjoy Lavec-Ms Matched Pearls gelding.

The second edition of the Go The Distance trio of races at various distances got underway with a record-breaking performance. Tony Morgan took Rare Bunny right to the front, fought off a challenge from Armbro Cromwell heading to the final turn, and then cruised to a 1:08.3 clocking for the rarely raced five-eighths mile distance, knocking three-fifths of a second off the former record, equaled last month at the track by Dragon's Blood, and then also equaled by Pegasus Osborne.

Rare Bunny, a Precious Bunny-How Rare 6 year old, is owned by trainer Doris Marine and won for the third consecutive time.

Ross Wolfenden led off a three-straight wins performance by driving Man He Can Go to victory in 1:08.4, one-fifth off the new record, in the second Go The Distance speed test. The Masterman-Fair Decision gelding beat PJ Camalike (Brandon Givens) to the finish line, with Seal The Deal (Roger Plante Jr.) third.

Nick Callahan's JP Hickory, an altered son of Arturo-Always Truthful, made it two consecutive wins in the third $10,000 division with Corey Callahan in the bike for a 1:09.3 win.

In the opening race, Cole joined the 1,000-win club, piloting GE's Kris to victory for breeder and owners Bernard and Gary Ewing. (Dover Downs(

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