French trotter Elegant Dulupin FR was parked every step of the way and resolutely prevailed over the favorite McStoned Again to take Friday’s (April 19) $8,219 featured trot at Cumberland.
After finishing second in his first start in Massachusetts last week, Mcstoned Again made a jump in class and still won handily in Monday’s $20,000 trotting feature at Plainridge Park.
Driver Dan Deslandes and his father, trainer Jeff Deslandes, took Cumberland by storm and won four of the nine races on Friday’s (April 14) opening day program at the iconic Southern Maine oval.
When Race Secretary Rob Pennington opened the box for Cumberland’s opening weekend, he was pleased to find over 150 horses had been dropped in for the double draw for this Friday and Saturday (April 14-15).
Winning Ticket established a new Scioto Downs track record of 1:53.1 for three-year-old trotting geldings as he cruised to victory in the first of two $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes on Friday evening.
The son of Triumphant Caviar, out of the Credit Winner mare Lotto Winner, is trained by Chris Beaver for partners Steve Zeehandelar, Tim Homan and Jim Burnett. This was Winning Ticket’s third consecutive victory in OSS competition and was a career best mark for the gelding, who is now undefeated in seven starts this season. The 1-9 favourite finished well ahead of the hard-trying Lockbox (Chris Page), with Mcstoned Again (Tyler Smith) grabbing third-place honours.