Dover: Lady Burg, Song Master tally in DSBF events

After gait issues derailed her over the half-mile Harrington Raceway oval, Lady Burg got her bearings back by way of a lifetime-best 2:00 1/5 win in the second of two $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund first round preliminary events for 2-year-old trotting fillies held Monday (Nov. 11) at Bally's Dover.

With trainer Traci Berry making the call to add hopples to Lady Burg and usual driver Pat Berry at the lines, the filly left enough from the pole position to secure the pocket behind 17-1 shot Indiana Star (driven by Tony Morgan) through a 28 4/5 opening quarter before angling off the pegs and brushing to the fore with a circuit to go. After rating soft middle fractions of 1:00 and 1:30, the E L Platinum-Comical Dream filly edged away gradually off the home turn to evade a three-wide rally from Marino Bluestone (Jim Morand) by 2 1/2 lengths. Indiana Star, who gapped the pocket turning for home, narrowly held third over Kat's Fancy.

Now a three-time winner from five starts, Lady Burg competes as a homebred for J. Craparotta & P. Berry Racing LLC. She paid $2.80 to win.

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The first DSBF split saw 1-2 favorite Song Master and driver Cody Poliseno click off splits of 28 2/5, 59 and 1:30 1/5 before withstanding a late charge from Holly Lou (Allan Davis) by a diminishing neck in a career-best 2:01 1/5. Royal Toni (Kim Vincent) finished third after gapping the pocket on the final turn.

Carlo Poliseno trains Song Master, a Glidemaster-Cicada's Song filly with two wins in six starts, for owner-breeder Jane Dunavant. She returned $3.00 to win.

Rookie trotting colts and geldings begin their DSBF series Tuesday (Nov. 12), with two $20,000 first-round preliminary divisions scheduled on a 13-race card at Bally's Dover. First post is 4:30 p.m. EST.

--press release (DSBF)--