Dover: Favored fillies finish first in DSBF prelims

True to their expected form, odds-on favorites Gaitway Gal and Shabby Chic won as they pleased in their respective $20,000 first round Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund preliminary events for 3-year-old pacing fillies, conducted Wednesday (Nov. 30) at Bally's Dover.

Gaitway Gal and driver Pat Berry earned top honors with a 1:55 2/5 mile in the first division. The GTY Stable's homebred Delmarvalous-Brussels Hanover filly bypassed the three-hole on the first turn and pushed clear of 5-2 second choice Bank The Win (driven by Victor Kirby) before completing a 27 2/5 first quarter. Bank The Win, who left aggressively to clear from the outside post seven before yielding, retook the lead at the bell and relegated Gaitway Gal to the pocket through middle splits of 56 4/5 and 1:25 2/5. Finding herself boxed on the far turn by the first-over Mistatude (Jason Thompson), Gaitway Gal found a lane up the open stretch and surged to the lead with 70 yards to go, drawing clear at will to win by 2 1/4 lengths while in-hand. Bank The Win narrowly preserved second from Mistatude, who stayed on respectably after her uncovered bid through the far turn.

Jeff Smith trainee Gaitway Gal, a nine-time winner with $167,304 in career earnings, paid $2.60 to win. Her full brother, the 2-year-old gelding Gaitway Guy, swept both the Harrington and Dover DSBF series this season.

The second division saw Harrington series champion Shabby Chic and driver Tim Tetrick strike the front in the final 300 yards of a 1:56 mile and sprint clear by 6 1/2 lengths while under wraps. Tetrick was unhurried with the Badlands Hanover-Stylish Artist filly from the start, settling her in fourth behind 16-1 pace-setter Prime Power (Ross Wolfenden) through early sectionals of 28 1/5 and 57 1/5. Shabby Chic moved second-over behind Ky-Ky (Art Stafford Jr.) up the backstretch but made her biggest gains after Ky-Ky ducked into the pocket with five-sixteenths to go. Prime Power reached three-quarters in 1:26, but was eclipsed by Shabby Chic's sweeping push to the fore shortly thereafter. Prime Power had enough left to preserve second over Ky-Ky, who ducked to the open stretch to miss the runner-up spot by a half-length.

Shabby Chic, a winner of 12 starts and $208,650, is a Let It Ride Stables homebred trained by Michael Hall. She paid $2.20 to win.

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Sophomore pacing fillies square off in the second preliminary round of their series next Wednesday (Dec. 7). First round DSBF action at Bally's Dover concludes Thursday (Dec. 1), when a pair of $20,000 splits for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings highlight the early portion of a 14-race card. First post is 4:30 p.m.

--press release (DSBF)--