Diabolic Hill seeks Matron Stakes win at Bally's Dover

Diabolic Hill seeks Matron Stakes win at Bally’s Dover

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Diabolic Hill seeks his fourth victory on Thursday night as the sophomore trotter closes out his campaign in the $124,200 Matron Stakes at Bally’s Dover, Daily Racing Form reported.

The 3-year-old colt will leave from post five with regular driver Todd McCarthy as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Grade 2 event. Annie Stoebe, who trains and co-owns the horse, pointed the horse toward the Dover finale rather than challenging older rivals in the FanDuel Open Trot Championship.

Diabolic Hill enters the race carrying momentum from a victory in the Grade 1 Breeders Crown at Eldorado Scioto Downs last month. That win came 12 weeks after a disappointing eighth-place finish in his Hambletonian Stakes elimination on Aug. 1 at the Meadowlands, a setback later traced to bleeding that was successfully managed with Lasix.

Diabolic Hill seeks Matron Stakes win at Bally's Dover

“Diabolic was the first colt I ever trained, and our biggest goal was the Hambo,” Stoebe told Daily Racing Form. “That was one of the hardest weeks of my life. It was hard to even race on Hambletonian Day. But I still showed up and still did everything, and then I just poured all my energy and focus into the Crown.”

Following his Breeders Crown success, connections received an invitation to face older rivals in the $300,000 FanDuel Open Trot Championship on Saturday at the Meadowlands. The prospective field features 4-year-olds On To Norway and Super Chapter.

Stoebe discussed the decision to skip the FanDuel clash in favor of keeping the colt against his own age group for the final start of the year.

“If we weren’t planning to bring him back at (age) 4, we probably would have taken a shot in the FanDuel. But I think a horse’s mentality is so important, and I would rather race him against other 3-year-olds finishing the year strong because we’re bringing him back next year. I want him to come back being the big dog.”

The son of Muscle Hill-Crysti Dream boasts eight wins from 21 career starts, with nine additional on-the-board finishes and $1.08 million in lifetime earnings.

Diabolic Hill seeks Matron Stakes win at Bally's Dover

Thursday’s card features four Grade 2 Matron Stakes for 3-year-olds at Bally’s Dover. The program begins at 4:30 p.m. Eastern and includes the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund series for 2-year-old male pacers alongside the Blue Hen Open Handicap Pace.

Event Morning-Line Favorite Driver / Trainer Odds
3-Year-Old Filly Trot (Race 6) Custom Jason Bartlett / Petter Engblom 5-2
3-Year-Old Filly Pace (Race 8) Loua Dipa Ronnie Wrenn Jr. / Ron Burke 5-2
3-Year-Old Male Trot (Race 10) Diabolic Hill Todd McCarthy / Annie Stoebe 5-2
3-Year-Old Male Pace (Race 12) Al Papi Yannick Gingras / Ron Burke 5-2

First post for the Thursday card at Bally’s Dover is 4:30 p.m. (EST).

More on this story: Six Millionaires Slated for Thursday's Matron Stakes at Bally's Dover · Two Longshots Win $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund Events

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