A brand new winner emerged from the $25,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace at Miami Valley on Friday night (March 8).

JDs Chancey Gal, in just her second try at an Open I level, tracked down favoured pacesetter Feelin Red Hot (Chris Page) and then held off longshot E R Hilary (LeWayne Miller) to score a 1:52.1 triumph for owner/trainer Pasko Vucinaj. Driver Tyler Smith used the advantageous pole post position to secure a pocket ride after Feelin Red Hot paced relentlessly to the front of the field during a :26.1 opening quarter. Sitting chilly through middle fractions of :55.2 and 1:23, Smith didn’t move until finding racing room in the stretch. Zoe Ellasen (Trace Tetrick) garnered the show dough.

The winner is a five-year-old daughter of Panspacificflight. She was making just her second start of the 2019 season but now owns 14 victories in just 43 trips to post. The winner’s share of the purse put JDs Chancey Gal’s career earnings over $180,000.

A pair of divisions comprising the second leg of the Herb Coven Jr. Memorial late-closing series were also contested on the program. Tura Lura Lural (driver/trainer Kayne Kauffman) copped the first split with a gate-to-wire tally over Avaline Hanover (Chris Page) and McPansy (Brett Miller). Doug Millard, Sandra Burns and Natalie Kauffman own the four-year-old The Panderosa lass who was notching her fourth lifetime win as the favourite.

Kauffman also steered the second division winner, Love Over Gold, to a huge upset victory for owner Jessica Millner and trainer James Roach. The four-year-old daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven benefitted from a two-hole trip behind pacesetter My Lady Peg (Brett Miller), who faded to third in the late going. Good Faith (Travis Seekman) enjoyed a close-up trip in third along the pylons and rallied late for a place finish. Love Over Gold paid $81.40 to win, the $2 exacta returned $1,527 and a 50-cent trifecta ticket was worth a whopping $2549.41.

The nine finalists that qualified for the $25,000 championship final of the Coven Jr. Memorial series are Tura Lura Lural, Love Over Gold, Queen Me Again, McPansy, Avaline Hanover, Good Faith, Schwartz Bros Beaty, My Lady Peg and Canadian Rocker.

(Miami Valley Raceway)