Ontario-sired eight-year-old Rehab Mountain established a new lifetime mark winning the Sunday afternoon $15,950 Open Trot at Miami Valley Raceway.

The veteran altered son of Duke Of York has been on a meet-long roll at Miami Valley, winning seven races with three place and one show finishes in 13 trips behind the Woebkenberg starting gate. Trainer/driver Brad Hanners has guided his stable star to $66,376 in earnings over the past four months, the most of any horse at the meet.

First off the wings as usual, Rehab Mountain led the strong seven-horse field to the quarter-mile marker in :28.1 until allowing odds-on favourite Southwind Pepino (Sandy Beatty) to quarter-move to the front and lead the group through middle fractions of :56.3 and 1:25.2. At the three-quarter pole, Southwind Pepino made an uncharacteristic break in stride allowing Rehab Mountain to inherit the front end once again. With a :28.4 closing panel, the winner held off J J Hall (Kayne Kauffman) and Run And Tell Pap (Chris Page) in 1:54.1, a tick better than his previous lifetime-best.

The B6 Racing Stable owns Rehab Mountain, who is rapidly approaching $300,000 in career earnings.

Miami Valley Raceway anticipates a fantastic closing weekend May 1 to May 3 when the 89-day meet concludes. First leg Ohio Sires Stakes action for sophomore fillies will share the spotlight with Open pacing mares on Friday night. The state’s best three-year-old colts will descend on Miami Valley for initial Sires Stakes action on Saturday night, which will also include the weekly Open Pace. On Sunday a pair of lucrative Grand Circuit stakes are expected to attract the best older mare pacers and trotters in North America to southwest Ohio. Nominees to the $75,000 (est.) Chip Noble Memorial Pace include Colors A Virgin, Carolsideal, Fancy Desire, Rocklamation and Yagonnakissmeornot. The $85,000 (est.) Miami Valley Distaff Trot could pit nominees Bee A Magician, Classic Martine, Daylon Miracle and Shake It Cerry against one another in the same race for the first time.

The track is also trying to fill a five-eighths mile dash and a one-and-a-quarter mile race on the Sunday card, each with a goal of establishing a new world record. Each sports a $10,000 purse with a $3,000 bonus offered to the driver-trainer-owner connection that does establish a new standard for the sport. Interested trainers are asked to express their interest in participating in the special events to Race Secretary Gregg Keidel (513-934-7792) by Tuesday night. At this writing, a couple spots on the starting gate are still available for each race.

(With files from Miami Valley Raceway)