Confederate coasts, crushes in Matron

November 9, 2023 - Fotowon Photos

Dover, DE — Breeders Crown champion Confederate cracked $2 million in career earnings with a punishing 1:49 win in the $170,850 Hap Hansen Matron Stakes for 3-year-old male pacers on Thursday (Nov. 9) at Bally’s Dover.

A $25,000 supplement into the Matron, Confederate floated into midfield as Cannibal (driven by Yannick Gingras) used :26.1 first-quarter speed to clear Ken Hanover (David Miller) for early control. After briefly tucking into fourth, Tim Tetrick — carrying the colors of Diamond Creek Racing — brushed Confederate to the top, seizing control at the end of a :54.3 half. Ken Hanover reemerged up the backstretch to apply first-over pressure to three-quarters in 1:22.1, but Confederate responded with a :26.4 sprint home, striding clear of Cannibal to win by two lengths under just mild encouragement at the sixteenth pole. Ken Hanover finished third.

Confederate became harness racing’s newest double millionaire with a 1:49 win in the Hap Hansen Matron Stakes for 3-year-old male pacers.

Brett Pelling trains 18-time winner Confederate, a son of Sweet Lou who paid $2.20 to win as the overwhelming favorite.

Dexter Dunn fashioned a Matron double with a pair of 3-year-old fillies: trotter Call Me Goo ($4.20) and pacer Twin B Joe Fresh ($2.60).

In the $141,450 Matron for trotting fillies, Call Me Goo worked forward through the first turn and cleared early leader Helpoftheseason (Gingras) past the :28 quarter, rated a :57.1 half, then parried a first-over threat from Quick Stop (Tetrick) past three-quarters in 1:25.2 before sprinting two lengths clear to a 1:53.2 victory. Quick Stop held second; Helpoftheseason was third.

Jason Skinner trains Call Me Goo, a daughter of Googoo Gaagaa with 16 career wins and $415,689 in the bank, for Graham Grace Stables.

Dunn came back to win the $117,550 Matron for pacing fillies with Twin B Joe Fresh, whom he co-owns with trainer Chris Ryder, Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak.

The Roll With Joe filly settled in third as Zanatta (Joe Bongiorno) carved out early splits of :27 and :55.1 before making her move with three-eighths to go. Once activated, Twin B Joe Fresh strode forward to overtake Zanatta past three-quarters in 1:22.3 and evaded runner-up McSeaside (Gingras) by a measured 1-1/4 lengths in 1:50.3. Always B Naughty (Andy McCarthy) followed Twin B Joe Fresh’s cover into third.

Now an 18-time winner, Twin B Joe Fresh has banked over $1.3 million in her career.

Point Of Perfect ($10.40) and Yannick Gingras rounded out the quartet of 3-year-old Matron winners, prevailing by a head in a three-horse photo over Khaosan Road (Åke Svanstedt) and Dire Straits (David Miller).

The son of Walner sprinted clear of Khaosan Road through a :27.1 first quarter before controlling middle splits of :57 and 1:24.4. Turning for home, Point Of Perfect braced for an inside challenge from Khaosan Road and an outside challenge from Dire Straits, but kept them both at bay while driven out to a 1:55 win for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, J&T Silva Stables and Knox Services. He now has won four times in his career and has banked $378,146.