The richest race of the season thus far at Miami Valley Raceway, the $37,500 championship of the Claim To Fame Series for $30,000 claimers, produced unexpected results on Sunday (Feb. 10) when three longshots with outside post positions completed the trifecta and lit up the tote board.
J M Jet Set (who was driven by Dan Noble) went gate-to-wire in 1:51.4 at odds of 22-1m followed at the finish by 20-1 Swapportunity (Mike Oosting) and 38-1 IYQ YQR (Chris Page). The win mutuel was $46.80, the $2 exacta paid $917.60, and the 50-cent trifecta returned a whopping $3,964.30.
J M Jet Set, pictured in victory
Despite having drawn Post 7, Noble was intent of controlling the championship tilt, as he zoomed off the starting gate and crossed over to the pylons early in the mile. Following a :26.2 opening panel, J M Jet Set was throttled back to a :55 halfway clocking before tripping the third beam in 1:23. The nine-year-old Jeremes Jet gelding coasted home an open-lengths winner for his 35th career triumph and just missed his lifetime-best time by just two-fifths of a second.
Noble also trains J M Jet Set for owners Rodney Lorenzo and Brian Running.
A pair of Open Trots was co-featured during the Sunday matinee.
In the $24,000 Open I, Monopoly Blue Chip (Kayne Kauffman) scored a thrilling upset victory in a race where all eight stellar trotters were within three lengths at the wire. The no-nonsense closer, who is owned by Shayne May and trained by Jeff Olsen, won the cavalry charge to the finish line over All About Cowboys (Jason Brewer) and Another Breath (Dan Noble) in 1:55.1. Although the winning son of Donato Hanover has been highly competitive in the top trotting class over the past four months, he was sent off at 15-1 by the public.
Monopoly Blue Chip, pictured in victory
The $20,000 Open II was captured by Hominy Hill, who is trained by Sandy Tetrick and was driven by her husband, Trace. The seven-year-old black gelding bested Classic Venture (Dan Noble) and Impressive Chief (Brett Miller).
(Miami Valley Raceway)