Driver Tony Hall may not have had the best start to his day -- having found a flat tire on his way to the racetrack -- but it ended on the biggest milestone of his career. Despite a late arrival, rain and downgraded track conditions, Hall found his way to the winner’s circle for the 7,000th time on Friday (Dec. 9) at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway.
After scoring a pair of wins earlier on the card, Hall found himself guiding the 4-5 favourite Ainthesamewithoutu in the featured $24,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace for his milestone victory.
Leaving from post five, the three-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou left the gate confidently. After leading the field to a :27.2 opening quarter, Ainthesamewithoutu was overtaken by 4-1 Dashintothebeach N. Ainthesamewithoutu sat patiently in the pocket as the half came in :55.1. Passing the three-quarter pole in 1:22.4, Ainthesamewithoutu popped the pocket and shifted into gear. With little urgency from Hall, the filly tripped the wire in a new lifetime mark of 1:51.1. Dashintothebeach N (Jeremy Smith) held on for second while Alexa Skye (Chris Page) finished third.
The victory was the fifth of the season for Ainthesamewithoutu. Trained by Anette Lorentzon, the filly has banked upwards of $80,000 in 2022. Ainthesamewithoutu was bred and is owned by her conditioner.
Director of Racing Jason Bluhm and Race Secretary Gregg Keidel congratulate Tony Hall on 7,000 career driving wins.
Hall began his career in 1997 at Lebanon Raceway. After only five months of driving, Hall earned his first win aboard Hes A Devil at the Warren County Fair for a purse of $600. With 50 starts in his initial season, he banked $5,967. Hall had his first million-dollar year in 2004 and hasn’t slowed down since. The 44-year-old driver has earned nearly $5.4 million in 2022. Hall ends the evening having driven in 44,977 races and earning a total of $64,839,738.
Live harness racing will resume on Saturday (Dec. 10) at Dayton Raceway with first post at 4 p.m.
(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Assocation)