Island of the Sea and Allan Davis slushed through sloppy track conditions Thursday, Jan. 19 at Dover Downs to come home with the win in the $17,000 Winners Over event. Davis never took his hands out of the handholds as the big gelding sailed across the wire in 1:52.3.
Island of the Sea scored his first win of 2023 for Eric and Lisa Ell Thursday, Jan. 19 at Dover Downs in Winners Over action.
Island of the Sea left the gate with intentions of going straight to the lead but he was cut off by Baba O’Riley and Barton Dalious, who took over passing by the quarter in :27.0. As the field came out of the first turn, Island of the Sea was already on the outside and advancing to clear to the front in just a few strides. He led the way to the half in :56.4.
Down the backstretch, horses began to move to the outside to challenge led by Metallica and Tony Morgan at the three-quarters in 1:25.2. Island of the Sea sat patiently around the turn before feeling pressure on both sides of him in the stretch. Davis let the gelding pace away, scoring the win by three-quarters of a length over Downers Delight on the outside, driven by Art Stafford Jr. and Babe O’Riley on the inside.
Island of the Sea paid $6.80 for the win. The six-year-old Always a Virgin son is owned by Eric and Lisa Ell of Maryland. Eric trains the horse bred by Steve Schmucker.
Island of the Sea was making his third start of 2023. He has been owned by the Ells since the spring of his two-year-old season as a private purchase. He was originally sold as a yearling at the Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale for $46,000. He now has more than $300,000 on his card.
Island of the Sea began his career late in his two-year-old year with a couple starts at The Meadowlands and Philadelphia. It wasn’t until he was three that he ventured back to Indiana to compete and won four of his first five starts, including a couple of preliminary rounds of Indiana Sires Stakes action. He returned to the Delmarva area and prepped for his four-year-old season at Dover Downs and eventually made the trek back to The Meadowlands where he won an upper conditioned pace and was very competitive. He’s had a few more appearances in Indiana for Sires Stakes but the majority of his races are now recorded on the East Coast.
Island of the Sea took his career best time of 1:48.4 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park during his three-year-old campaign. He has paced under the 1:50 time barrier several times in his career. Overall, he has 24 wins in 86 starts and has hit the board in 45 of those outings.
Earlier in the evening, another Indiana sired scored a win at Dover as Jims Perfect Ten and Tim Tetrick were winners in the $50,000 Claimer. The eight-year-old son of Net Ten EOM came from off the pace to score the win late in the race by one length over Stunners Wish and Tony Morgan. Rose Run Uriah, an Indiana sired son of Jereme’s Jet, was third for driver Pat Berry.
Jims Perfect Ten paid $14.80 for the win. He is owned by Rodney Long and Edward Mendez and was bred by Luckiana Farm. Chuck Crissman Jr. trains the veteran gelding, who has 22 career wins, nearly $300,000 in earnings, and a mark of 1:50.0 taken last year as a seven-year-old at The Meadowlands.