Coming off of ten days rest, Tazered has been entered in the $75,000 Dover Stakes at Delaware Park this Saturday. The mile and a sixteenth test for 2-year-olds has attracted a field of nine.

In his only career outing, Tazered posted a 2 ½-length score in a seven furlong maiden at Belmont Park on September 29. Last year, his trainer Gary Contessa followed a similar successful path to victory in the Dover Stakes. After breaking his maiden at Delaware Park, Citrus Kid came back after fourteen days of rest to post a 5-length score in the Dover Stakes. Tazered is Kentucky-bred son of Mizzen Mast.

“He won impressively, so we decided to enter him in the Dover,” said trainer Gary Contessa. “Hopefully, lightning will strike twice and we can win it like we did with Citrus Kid last year.”

Contessa recently won the Grade III Kent Stakes with Grand Rapport on September 25.

Trainer Anthony Dutrow has entered an uncoupled pair. He entered Fox Hill Farm’s Commander, a Kentucky-bred son of Broken Vow, who broke his maiden by 1 ¼-lengths at Delaware Park going a mile an seventy yards in his only career outing. He also entered Mr. and Mrs. William Warren Jr.’s Rush Now, a Kentucky-bred son of Tiznow, who broke his maiden by 13 ¾-lengths at Delaware Park going a route ground for the first time in his second career outing on September 1.

“We are pretty excited about both horses,” said Anthony Dutrow. “Both broke there maidens impressively, so we are pretty excited to see what happens this Saturday. Commander won nicely going a route in his first start and Rush Now, being a son of Tiznow, really blossomed going two turns for the first time.”

Surprisingly, Dutrow, who has proven to be very successful with 2-year-olds, is seeking his first career victory in the Dover Stakes which has some interesting history.

In the seventy renewals, four horses have either won or run second in the Dover Stakes and won the Kentucky Derby the following year. They are Count Turf who won the Dover in 1950, Carry Back who finished second in the Dover in 1960, Foolish Pleasure who won the Dover in 1974, and Spectacular Bid who finished second in the Dover in 1978. Both Foolish Pleasure and Spectacular Bid won the year-end divisional championship for 2-year-olds. El Chico, who won the inaugural running of the Dover Stakes in 1938, also won the 2-year-old year-end championship.