Oakwood Heymiki Ir used a three-wide move around the final turn to score a narrow victory in the $38,356 Horses and Geldings Open Pace on a festive Saturday, Dec. 20 card at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway
Little Rocket Man (David Miller) initially took the front after an early scramble, but Gorgeous Big Guy (Chris Page) moved to the front on the outside just past the quarter in :27 and led to the half in :56.2. Joelsyy Hanover (Sam Widger) was parked from the outset and pushed on into contention, providing live cover for Oakwood Heymiki Ir and Brett Miller.
As his cover began to tire, Oakwood Heymiki Ir went three-wide in the final turn and had his head in front at three-quarters in 1:24.2. Gorgeous Big Guy and Oakwood Heymiki Ir were joined by Little Rocket Man on the outside in the stretch, making it a three-horse dash for the line. The Irish-bred got up in the final strides to record a 1:52.2 victory by a nose over Little Rocket Man, with Gorgeous Big Guy a neck behind in third.
Oakwood Heymiki Ir, a five-year-old son of Always B Miki-I Got Rhythm, has now won five straight races for Royal Wire Products Inc. and trainer Robert Cleary. He has 23 wins in 44 career starts. He paid $6.40 to win.
Naturally Gifted A headlined a six-win night for driver David Miller and a grand slam for trainer Ken Rucker on the 14-race card with a 1:52 victory in the $32,877 Horses and Gelding Open II Hanidcap Pace.
Racing Rebel (Chris Page) tried to protect his rail position at the start, but Naturally Gifted A was a couple of steps faster and was in the lead at the quarter in :27.2 and half in :57. Around Midnight (Trace Tetrick) was the first to challenge, providing a tow to Alta Revelry N (Trevor Smith) through three-quarters in 1:24.4. Around Midnight faded on the final turn, allowing Racing Rebel to pull the pocket, but Naturally Gifted A held that rival at bay and crossed the line 1-3/4 lengths ahead of his challenger. Gem Quality (Luke Hanners) photoed out Downbythedanceclub (Brett Miller) for third.
The Australian-bred Naturally Gifted A is owned by Every Day Stable. The six-year-old Sweet Lou-Perfectlyimperfect gelding is now 17-for-79 lifetime. He returned $4.80 at the windows.
Miller and Rucker also combined to click with Epic Ace ($4.80), Gullfaxi ($5), and Howard Hughes N ($11). Rucker is having his best season since 2010 and needs one more victory before New Year's Day to reach triple digits for the first time since that year. He is winning at a 24.2 per cent rate in 2025.
Miller's other two wins came with Virgil Morgan Jr.'s Win Lous Or Draw ($5) and Mariah Wright's Tellmeaboutit ($7.40). The reinsman returned to his native Ohio at the end of last month and has made a splash with 31 wins in 178 starts for a strike rate of 17.4 per cent.
Before the races, representatives from the Dayton Fire Department picked up toys and donations collected by the Dayton Raceway racing community.
Santa defeated the Grinch in a special match race during the card, saving Christmas and spreading joy to the children of Dayton.
Racing resumes at Dayton on Monday, Dec. 22 with a 4 p.m. post time. Six race cards remain in the track's 2025 season.
(With files from Dayton Raceway)