Following a six-week hiatus due to a state-imposed quarantine, My Hero Ron returned to the races without missing a step, winning the $24,000 Open I Pace on Saturday, March 10 at Miami Valley Raceway.
Driver Tyler Smith urged My Hero Ron to engage his foes from the start, eventually settling for a seat in third along the pylons during a :26.2 opening quarter. The two stalked a duel between P L Fighter and Angelo J Fra, who fought through splits of :54.1 and 1:22.
Smith swung the Dan Dubeansky trainee three wide for the stretch drive when room opened around the turn. My Hero Ron rallied past runner-up P L Fighter to win while holding off third-place finisher Heza Thrill N, who charged late.
Brian Witt and Cory Atley are partners on My Hero Ron, a six-year-old who now sports 18 victories in his career and $649,413 in earnings.
A $20,000 Open II was won by Feelnlikearockstar in 1:51.3, besting Dalhousie Dave and J M Jet Set. Tony Hall piloted Feelnlikearockstar to his 16th win and upped his earnings to $233,520. Trainer Perry Smith co-owns the six-year-old Artstanding gelding with Sawgrass Farms LLC.
A pair of final preliminary divisions of the George Williams Memorial Late Closing Series, for horses with less than four wins or $40,000, were also presented.
Gitn Drunkonaplane scored in 1:54.4 over Smokin Willie and Offdahook Bluechip. Owned by Pacey “The Wizard” Mindlin and Kenneth Cohen, the four-year-old son of Panspacificflight won for the second time in just three starts this season. Jessis Western’s win was also his second of 2018 as he bested Stubble Trouble and Exit Sandman.
Miami Valley Raceway welcomed back over 500 horses this week, when two large nearby training facilities had their state-imposed quarantines lifted. The quarantines were put in place as a precautionary measure due to the recent outbreak of equine herpes in the northeast. No cases of equine herpes were diagnosed during the course of the quarantine.
The $22,500 championship of the George Williams Memorial Series will go postward on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.
(With files from Miami Valley)