DSBF: Cruising Mist tops filly pace

Cruising Mist paid $2.60 as the 1-5 favorite on Wednesday at Bally's Dover. Photo: Quenton Egan Photography

DOVER - Legacy Racing of Delaware's homebred Cruising Mist took full advantage of a pocket trip and got the better of Harrington series champ Salty Beaches in the second of two $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund (DSBF) preliminary events for 2-year-old pacing fillies on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Bally's Dover.

With Tim Tetrick at the lines for trainer Wayne Givens, Cruising Mist left from post 6 to secure the pocket behind Salty Beaches (driven by Allan Davis), who worked clear from post 8 to control splits of :28.2, :58.3 and 1:26.4. Just above the eighth pole, Tetrick angled Cruising Mist off the pegs, and the Powerful Mist-Image Cruisingaway filly sped clear of the leader by 1-1/2 lengths to win in 1:56. Unberdnbywhathsben (Jason Thompson) finished third, another 3-3/4 lengths back, after stalking the top pair throughout the mile.

The win was the fourth in nine starts this season for Cruising Mist, who paid $2.60 to win as the 1-5 favorite.

In the first section, Rynesha and driver Ryder Skinner took a pocket tuck behind Jobs Not Finished (Thompson) to draft behind early splits of :28 and :58, tracked intently up the backstretch as the first-over Sunday Suppers (Montrell Teague) forced the pace to quicken through a :28.1 third split, and emerged off the home turn to win by a widening 2-1/4 lengths in 1:56.2 over the late-gaining High Prophet (Corey Callahan). Jobs Not Finished was a beaten third.

Land Of The Free (Brandon Givens), who was sent off the 1-10 favorite, failed to sustain a three-wide bid entering the homestretch and finished fifth.

It was the first career win for Rynesha, a Highalator-Hawthorne Hudson filly bred by Willow Mill Stables and owned by trainer Jason Skinner in partnership with Ryan Davila. As the 24-1 fifth choice, she paid $50.60 to win.