The top two horses in harness racing, distaff pacer Twin B Joe Fresh and trotting mare Jiggy Jog S, are back in action this Saturday, Sept. 28 as Hollywood Dayton Raceway hosts its richest card of the year headlined by four $250,000 USD stakes events for older horses.

More than $1.6 million USD will be up for grabs on Saturday night as Dayton hosts eight $65,000 USD Ohio Sires Stakes dashes for two-year-olds in addition to the four lucrative Dayton Derbies.

Jiggy Jog S kicks off the festivities in the eighth race, with her connections having the rare opportunity to race the seasonally-unbeaten mare against trotting mares in the $250,000 USD Dayton Oaks Derby and compete for just as much as the boys. Last seen dominating her global rivals in the $1.3 million MGM International Trot, Jiggy Jog S (Walner-Side Bet Hanover) is unbeaten in five outings this year for trainer/co-owner Ake Svanstedt and partners Steve Stewart of Paris, Ky., John Lengacher of Grabill, Ind., and Hickory Hollow Stables of Spencerville, Ind.

Regular pilot Dexter Dunn gets the call to drive Jiggy Jog, leaving from post six on Saturday night. They connected for a victory in this race from post seven one year ago.

“She’s very athletic,” said Dunn in an interview with United States Trotting Association. “It’s not like she needs a lot of racing to become fit. She’s pretty naturally fit, I think. That’s the way they train her.”

Drawing the rail and setting a new lifetime mark of 1:51.2f two weeks ago at the age of eight, Refined (PP1, Dan Noble) looks to factor prominently here in the field of nine.

Dunn's other leading lady, pacing powerhouse Twin B Joe Fresh, headlines the group of nine established older pacing mares in the $250,000 USD Dayton Distaff Derby. The top ranked horse in harness racing for 2024, Twin B Joe Fresh (Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze) will look to extend her current win streak to nine for co-owner Dunn, co-owner and trainer Chris Ryder, Barry Spak and Pete Trebotica. 

“She’s been great,” said Dunn. “She hasn’t done much wrong this year. She’s gotten a lot stronger finishing her races off. I’m really happy with her.”

Last year this time, Twin B Joe Fresh was competing as a sophomore at The Red Mile against the likes of eventual divisional champ and 2023 Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year Sylvia Hanover, Strong Poison and Always B Naughty. Those familiar faces are all part of the stout Saturday contest as Twin B Joe Fresh (PP3) drew to the inside of Sylvia Hanover (PP4, Bob McClure), Prohibition Legal (PP5, Scott Zeron), Always B Naughty (PP6, Yannick Gingras) and Strong Poison (PP7, Gingras also listed).

The 10th race on Dayton's card features a number of harness racing's top older trotters in the $250,000 USD Dayton Trotting Derby. Dunn has a solid shot for a hat trick here, picking up the drive on post two starter Logan Park. A confident winner last week at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Logan Park sports a 8-2-2-1 summary in 13 starts this year for trainers Kyle & Rob Fellows and Ontario-based owners Outofthepark Stable of Rockwood, Reg Higgs of Ilderton and Arpad Szabo of Bradford.

A wide-open group in the Dayton Trotting Derby includes Hillexotic (PP3, Austin Hanners), who upset Dunn and Alrajah One IT in this race last year, as well as Chapercraz (PP6, Gingras), Southwind Tyrion (PP7, Svanstedt) and Its Academic (PP8, David Miller).

The $250,000 USD Dayton Pacing Derby is the final Grand Circuit event on Saturday's card at Dayton, carded as Race 11, with a group of nine established older pacers heading postward. The majority of this field sports a major stakes victory this year.

• Post 1: Abuckabett Hanover (Dexter Dunn), winner of the William R. Haughton Memorial 
• Post 2: Canadian Pacing Derby winner Its My Show (Scott Zeron)
• Post 3: Rocknroll Runa A (Todd McCarthy), upset winner of the Sam McKee Memorial
• Post 4: Dan Patch Free-For-All Pace winner Muskateer Hanover (Tony Hall)
• Post 5: Jim Ewart and Dan Patch runner-up Buzzsaw Russ (John Delong)
• Post 6: Taurasi (driver TBD), winner of 11 races this year and second in the Mohawk Gold Cup
• Post 7: Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup winner Huntinthelastdolar (Yannick Gingras)
• Post 8: Little Rocket Man (David Miller), recent winner of the Ewart Memorial and Hoosier Park Pacing Derby
• Post 9: Dan Patch Stakes winner Dunkin (Tim Tetrick)

First race post time on the card that also features a $75,000 USD Dayton Pacing Derby Consolation and a $26,000 USD Fillies and Mares Open Pace is 6:30 p.m.

(Standardbred Canada)