Opening night at Eldorado Scioto Downs provided many things that aren’t typically wanted during a race card – a chilly, rainy evening with weather delays. However, the horses were ready to go on Thursday, May 9, and the wagering was on fire with handle up nearly 66 per cent over 2023’s first race card.

“The weather was not ideal, but it seems everyone looks forward to opening day at Scioto,” said Joe Morris, Senior Vice-President of Racing Operations for Caesars Entertainment. “We had an oversubscribed box and 12 of our races had a full, 10-horse field. There are 16 races on each of our next two nights to round out the weekend and 28 of them have either nine- or 10-horse fields.”

Boundtobefearless provided the fastest race of the evening, in the Jeanie Hanners Memorial race for non-winners of four pari-mutuel pacers. The four-year-old gelding by Fear The Dragon won by 7-1/2 lengths in 1:50.4. Boundtobefearless is trained by Steve Searle and owned by Sara Potts, both from Illinois.

Driver Jeremy Smith didn’t make it to the winner’s circle until the seventh race, but drove five winners total on the 16-race card including Who Dey Nation (above); juxtaposed with 16 different trainers who made it to the winner’s circle on opening night.

The 90-day 2024 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet runs through Saturday, Sept. 14. Races are held Tuesday-Saturday, with special holiday cards on Memorial Day and Labour Day taking place instead of the Tuesday card that week. First post is at 5:45 p.m. each day except for Thursday, July 4, with a post of 3:15 p.m., and Friday, Sept. 13, which will have a 6:15 p.m. post, to help accommodate horsepeople attending the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale. More information about racing at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.

(Eldorado Scioto Downs)