Fifty Rivers proved why the punters sent him off as the 1-2 favourite, grinding out a one-length victory in the $42,254 Open Handicap Trot to top driver Trevor Smith's five wins at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
The four-year-old son of Fiftydallarbill-Hudson Jesse settled into a pocket-tracking trip behind pacesetter Jigger Dk (Austin Hanners), who carved out fractions of :26.4, :55.4 and 1:24. In the final turn, Jigger Dk broke stride, allowing Fifty Rivers a clear path down the lane. With the first-over Hilltop Sonar (Chris Page) offering a stretch challenge, Fifty Rivers forged ahead and crossed the line a length ahead in 1:52.3. Hilltop Sonar was second, followed by Mehelpingyou (David Miller).
Fifty Rivers, who is owned by J M F Racing LLC and trained by Antonia Storer, scored his 18th win in 63 starts, pushing his career earnings to $403,474. He paid $3 to win.
Besides the feature win, Trevor Smith also guided Mystic Terror (1:53.2, $20.20), Dolly Jean (1:54.2, $5.20), Team Bravo (1:54.2, $5.20) and Mels Vicki Lou (1:53.1, $15.80) to victory. Smith currently sits fourth in the Dayton drivers' standings with 43 wins.
Dayton’s 14-race Thursday card will kick off at 4 p.m.
(With files from Dayton Raceway)