Trace Tetrick, the defending dash champion and leading driver at the current Miami Valley Raceway meet, won five of the first eight races on the Monday afternoon matinee including both divisions of the first leg of the Ray Paver Sr. Memorial late-closer for trotters.
The Paver Memorial, for non-winners of four pari-mutuel races or $40,000 lifetime, is the first of nine “Lebanon Legends” series that will be presented during March and the early days of April at Miami Valley.
Air Assault captured the first $12,500 split in 1:56.2, besting P C Foreign Affair (Jason Brewer) and Missprimetimemel (LeWayne Miller). The favoured four-year-old son of Yankee Glide is trained by co-owner Mike Hollenback, whose partner is Charles Kline.
The Lionking AS was victorious in the second division, downing MVP Luke (Dan Noble) and White Pants Forever (Walter Haynes Jr.) in 1:57.2. Tyler George recently assumed the conditioning duties on the four-year-old Lionhunter gelding that is owned by ACL Stuteri AB.
Both winners showed six victories prior to their first leg triumphs with three each coming at commercial tracks and three at county fairs. The second leg of the series next week will feature $15,000 divisions while the top nine combatants will chase a $25,000 championship purse on March 11.
Tetrick’s other tallies came behind Missplacedrock (1:57.4) in a bottom condition mares pace, Galyns Gift (1:56.1) in a $6,500 mares claimer, and Insomniac (1:56.4) in a mid-range condition trot.
(Miami Valley Raceway)