Dover: SIx millionaires entered in Thursday's Matrons

Six millionaires are slated to take part in Thursday's (Nov. 12) Grade 2 Matron Stakes for 3-year-olds at Bally's Dover, with a quartet of them headlining the $124,800 Hap Hansen Matron, for sophomore male pacers.

The Hansen, carded as the 12th race on a 15-race program, will see Al Papi, Melillo, Odds On Mr Mamba and Fragment all look to build on their already stout bankrolls.

Al Papi, installed the 5-2 morning line favorite, enters off a game first-over victory in the Grade 2 Monument Circle at Harrah's Hoosier Park following his second-place finish to Brandon Blvd in the Grade 1 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Regular driver Yannick Gingras will pilot the Papi Rob Hanover-Baron Remy colt, who has won 10 races and earned $1,584,620, from post two.

Al Papi is one of four Ron Burke trainees in the Hansen, along with Melillo, whose eight wins include the Grade 2 Carl Milstein Memorial and this year's Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship. A winner of $1,271,469, the Sweet Lou-Rosemary Rose colt will start from post four as the 7-2 morning line second choice with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. at the lines.

The other two seven-figure earners in the field are Grade 1 Pepsi North America Cup winner Odds On Mr Mamba, whom Dexter Dunn will drive from post five for trainer Melanie Wrenn, and Messenger and two-time New York Sire Stakes champ Fragment, whom Jason Partlett will drive from post eight for trainer Petter Engblom.

Breeders Crown winner Diabolic Hill will look for his fourth consecutive win in the $124,200 Matron for 3-year-old male trotters, carded as race 10. The Muscle Hill-Crysti Dream colt has been installed the 5-2 morning line favorite on the strength of his lifetime-best 1:50 4/5 win in the Breeders Crown, and Todd McCarthy will once again drive the earner of $1,081,167 for trainer Annie Stoebe.

Among his top rivals are New York Sire Stakes champ AI (Dexter Dunn, post six, 7-2), who makes his debut for Marcus Melander, and Minoan (Andy McCarthy, post seven, 9-2), who finished third in the Grade 1 Hambletonian.

Jugette winner Loua Dipa rounds out the sextet of millionaires, installed as the 5-2 morning line choice in the $103,000 Matron for sophomore fillies, carded as race eight. The Sweet Lou-Looksgoodinaromper filly has won 16 of her 26 career starts on her way to $1,352,618 in earnings to date, and Wrenn will again drive her for Burke from post two after they teamed up for a 1:49 win in the Grade 3 USS Indianapolis at Harrah's Hoosier Park.

Jugette runner-up Darlin's Angel (Lauren Tritton, post five, 7-2) and Adioo Volo and New Jersey Classic winner Be Perfect BG (Louis-Philippe Roy, post six, 9-2) are among the other main contenders.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

The complete fields for Thursday's Matron Stakes for 3-year-olds, with post positions, drivers, trainers and morning line odds:

$171,400 Grade 2 Matron Stakes 3-Year-Old Filly Trot (Race 6)

1-Chestnut Kelly (Tim Tetrick/Scott DiDomenico) 12

2-Julie Palema (Andy Miller/Julie Miller) 8

3-Ginger Tree Lex (Andy McCarthy/Sam Beegle) 10

4-Custom (Jason Bartlett/Petter Engblom) 5-2

5-R Ro (Todd McCarthy/John Butenschoen) 6

6-Who Dares Wins (Åke Svanstedt/Åke Svanstedt) 12

7-Little Road (Brady Brown/Roger Hammer) 7-2

8-Storybook Love (Todd Ratchford/Matthew Bax) 9-2

$103,000 Grade 2 Matron Stakes 3-Year-Old Filly Pace (Race 8)

1-Two Twenty Swift (Jason Bartlett/Deborah Daguet) 10

2-Loua Dipa (Ronnie Wrenn Jr./Ron Burke) 5-2

3-Say Goodnight (Tim Tetrick/Nicholas DeVita) 8

4-Liberty Style (Art Stafford Jr./Andrew Stafford) 12

5-Darlin's Angel (Lauren Tritton/Juan Cano) 7-2

6-Be Perfect BG (Louis-Philippe Roy/Tony Beaton) 9-2

7-Existential (Dexter Dunn/Scott DiDomenico) 12

8-She's A Bulldog (Yannick Gingras/Ron Burke) 6

$124,200 Grade 2 Matron Stakes 3-Year-Old Male Trot (Race 10)

1-Highball Hanover (Brandon Givens/Wayne Givens) 12

2-Captain Jordan (Tim Tetrick/Scott DiDomenico) 8

3-Kingmen (Jason Bartlett/Petter Engblom) 12

4-Jim Beam (Yannick Gingras/Scott DiDomenico) 6

5-Diabolic Hill (Todd McCarthy/Annie Stoebe) 5-2

6-AI (Dexter Dunn/Marcus Melander) 7-2

7-Minoan (Andy McCarthy/Noel Daley) 9-2

8-Yankee Boost (Louis-Philippe Roy/Tom Shay) 10

$124,800 Grade 2 Hap Hanson Matron Stakes 3-Year-Old Male Pace (Race 12)

1-Watch Em Win (Tim Tetrick/Ron Burke) 12

2-Al Papi (Yannick Gingras/Ron Burke) 5-2

3-Toast Of The Town (Louis-Philippe Roy/Noel Daley) 12

4-Melillo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr./Ron Burke) 7-2

5-Odds On Mr Mamba (Dexter Dunn/Melanie Wrenn) 6

6-Callmebigpapi (Todd McCarthy/Ron Burke) 10

7-Gentleman's Club (Andy McCarthy/Aaron Lambert) 9-2

8-Fragment (Jason Bartlett/Petter Engblom) 8

First post for the Thursday card at Bally's Dover, which also includes three $20,000 second-round splits of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund series for 2-year-old male pacers and a $27,500 Blue Hen Open Handicap Pace, is 4:30 p.m. (EST).

For more information, visit www.ballysdover.com.

--press release (Bally's Dover)--