Miami Valley Raceway rang in the New Year with a stellar Opening Night card, a large and enthusiastic live crowd of racing fans and a best-ever Opening Night handle. The only thing that didn’t cooperate was the weather as the 14 races were contested over a sloppy racetrack and through intermittent night-long rain showers.
The highlight of the initial 2020 program was a $30,000 Mares Open, which produced a major upset when 40-1 Elysium Seelster (Josh Sutton) wore down Knockout Queen (Jeremy Smith) in the final strides of the 1:55.1 mile. Sutton got the winner away fourth from a two-hole start through the opening :26.4 panel, got shuffled to fifth at the :55 halfway juncture, then moved into second-over position on the outside before reaching the three-quarter station in 1:24.1. When the favoured pacesetter, My Tweed Heart (Brett Miller), began to shorten her stride around the final bend, Elysium Seelster was perfectly placed to battle stride-for-stride with first-over Knockout Queen all the way through the stretch.
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Mitchell Standardbreds Inc., Neil Goldstein and Terrance Smith plucked Elysium Seelster from an optional claiming race at Scioto Downs in August for $36,250 and entrusted the five-year-old mare’s future to trainer Zach Tackett. The daughter of Bettors Delight now sports $181,964 in career earnings including 11 victories. She paid $82.80 in her first triumph in Open company.
Miami Valley resumes racing on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. with another 14-race program featuring a $30,000 Open Pace for the best males currently competing in Southwest Ohio. Matinees will begin at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday afternoons.
(Miami Valley Raceway)