EXTRA: Fear The Dragon Returns For Progress Pace Elim At Dover

On Wednesday, Nov. 23, Dover Downs presents a solo elim to decide the final field for the Hap Hansen Progress Pace. The Brian Brown-trained pacer that led the division, as this blog forecasted at the beginning of this season, supplemented to this event, costing connections $25,000.

Fear The Dragon’s only major disappointment came during the Breeders Crown elim when he was never a threat in the soph-colt-pacing elim and finished last, leaving the final field without the division’s leader up until then.

Trainer Brown was quiet about the mishap but told our sources at the Hoosier finals that “Fear” became ill suddenly and the terrible Hoosier performance was the only clue at the time.

Fear was scratched in another major event at Hoosier and then qualified looking like his former self, securing the investment to go for the last sophomore stakes of the season.

He will meet stable-mate Downbytheseaside, Brown’s other glamour-boy dynamo this season. The top eight finishers in the elim will go in the final on Nov. 30.

Eleven pacers battle for the first eight positions. The Brown pair faces far less competition than in past races. Certainly, we will back Fear The Dragon, who is the morning-line favorite over Downbytheseaside, and use him as our key for exotics.

A horse coming from last week’s harness blog horses-to-watch list here would surely complement an exacta with Fear. That colt is Photobombr Hanover.

Another strong partner in exotics could be Mac’s Jackpot. He leaves to the right of Downbytheseaside in the second tier, post 10, and he is no stranger to picking up place and/or show checks.

Leaving Downbytheseaside off of a triple ticket, even with Fear as the key to win, could pump up the price. So we will use Photobombr Hanover and Mac’s Jackpot both in the second and third spots for the triple,

If the race offers a Superfecta (unknown at press time), we will use the same ticket but put Downbytheseaside as the fourth member.

Post time for Dover Downs’ program on Wednesday is 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The Progress Pace elim is Race 12, scheduled to go off around under the lights at 8:10 p.m.