Dover: First-round winners repeat in DSBF male trot splits

Next Thursday's (Dec. 16) $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund final for 3-year-old male trotters is shaping up as a likely showdown between Blue Devil ($4.20) and Rhett ($2.40), as both geldings completed sweeps of their preliminary divisions on Tuesday (Dec. 7) at Dover Downs.

Blue Devil captured the faster of the two $20,000 second-round preliminary events, evading even-money favorite Big Al M for a 1:58 2/5 score in the first division. Montrell Teague pushed the son of Anders Bluestone-Overnight Hit to the early lead before yielding to Big Al M (Eric Davis) at the completion of a 29 second first quarter. Immediately after ceding the lead, Teague promptly retook with Blue Devil and pulled the tempo back through a 1:00 4/5 middle-half. Up the backstretch and into the far turn, Blue Devil faced a stern first-over challenge from Altar Call (Barton Dalious), but dismissed that rival and sprinted away off the corner for home. Blue Devil used 28 3/5 stretch speed to maintain 1 1/4 lengths of clearance over runner-up Big Al M at the winning post; Vlahos (Tim Tetrick) rallied three-wide off stalled cover to finish third.

Adrian Wisher trains five-time winner Blue Devil, whom Art Stafford Jr. bred, for Elite Harness Racing LLC.

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In the second division, Rhett and driver Corey Callahan left between rivals before yielding control to a three-wide Bluestone Jackson (Jason Thompson) and subsequently retaking after a contested 28 1/5 first quarter. Rhett maintained a quick pace through a 57 4/5 first half before bracing for - and parrying - two separate challenges through the final five-sixteenths of the mile. After dismissing the first-over Command The Market (Russell Foster) past three-quarters in 1:28 1/5, the son of Keystone Activator-Lake Serena also held off a late push from runner-up Bluestone Jackson up the open stretch to win in 1:59 1/5. Command The Market preserved third despite leveling off in the stretch.

David Wiest co-owns seven-time winner Rhett with trainer-breeder Don Wiest.

Blue Devil and Rhett secured berths to the $100,000 DSBF final, as did Big Al M, Bluestone Jackson, Someofmygoodtime, Vlahos, Command The Market and Marvin B Swift.

--press release (Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund)--