Feelin Red Hot (Chris Page) nosed out American Girl (Trace Tetrick) in Miami Valley’s $25,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace on Friday night (February 8), giving the six-year-old daughter of Feelin Friskie her second straight weekly feature and postponing the christening of American Girl as a millionaire for at least another week.
Page left enough to drop in fifth during the :27.1 opening panel, but was out and moving in the outer flow shortly thereafter. Positioned third-over and still in fifth past the halfway point in :56.1, Feelin Red Hot moved three-wide and was fourth after the 1:24.1 third stanza. As American Girl, who was setting the pace after clearing to the front just past the first quarter, began to tire on this chilly and windy night, Feelin Red Hot showed the most resolve in the stretch by just barely wearing down her main adversary in 1:54.
A win by American Girl would have pushed her career earnings to a few dollars more than $1 million, but now she’ll have to wait in hopes of at least a second-place finish in her next attempt.
Ron Burke trains Feelin Red Hot for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. She now sports 21 wins in 78 trips to the post, good for earnings of $238,479.
Earlier on the card, two divisions of the first leg of the inaugural Howard Beissinger Memorial Medley for trotters were contested. The pair of first leg races were five-eighth-mile dashes over Miami Valley’s five-eighth-mile oval. The second leg will be raced at the standard one-mile distance while the championship leg will be contested over 1-1/4 miles (or two laps).
Brett Miller drove the winners of both $12,500 first leg dashes, Deweykknowigotit (1:11.2, $7 to win) and Double A Goldrush (1:11.1, $44.80). The North American record for the distance and track size is 1:10.3.
Deweyknowigotit has now won four of his five starts at Miami Valley since the meet opened in early January. Lionel Watiker owns the five-year-old gelded son of Deweycheatumnhowe and his son Derek Watiker does the conditioning. Rockinthepines (Dan Noble) was a hard-charging second with Cruzen Cassi (Tetrick) grabbing the show dough.
Double A Goldrush rallied from off the pace to beat Rompaway Galaxy (Jason Thompson) and Lets Go Bucks (Kyle Ater). Ross Leonard trains the five-year-old altered son of Elegant Man for owners Michael and Laura Lee and Terry Leonard. With 14 victories in 62 lifetime starts, the winner is closing in on $200,000 in earnings.
Racing resumes Saturday night at Miami Valley with a $24,000 Open Handicap Pace and two divisions of the new Bill Dailey Memorial Medley on tap. Post time is 6:05 p.m.
(With files from Miami Valley Raceway)