Driver Josh Sutton is enjoying his own version of ‘March Madness’ at Miami Valley Raceway.
The 32-year-old reinsman, ranked sixth in the national dash standings prior to winning a handful (five) of races on Friday night, has scored multiple victories on 12 of the 15 programs presented thus far this month and is averaging better than three wins per night in March. Sutton visited the winner’s circle on six occasions the night of March 11 and owns two five-win nights, three four-win nights and four three-win nights in the past three weeks. His total of 46 wins in the last 15 nights at Miami Valley has vaulted him into a comfortable lead in the driver’s standings with a season total of 125 scores. Dan Noble is second with 94 tallies, followed by Kayne Kauffman with 71.
Among Sutton’s Friday night successes was a second straight Fillies and Mares Open victory with Betterluvnexttime. The lukewarm favourite held off Shine N Shimmer (Chris Page) in 1:53.3. The top pair are both seven-year-old American Ideal mares with impressive credentials. The winner now has 41 wins in 100 starts, good for $488,875 in earnings; while the runner-up has 19 wins and has earned $333,617. Virgil Morgan Jr. conditions Betterluvnexttime for owner Daniel Mitchell.
Sutton’s other winners Friday were Royal Sue (1:57.2), trotter War Cry Hall (1:58.3), Perfectly Royal (1:55) and Ubettorbeturlife (1:54.2).
A pair of first round $5,000 divisions of the Robert J. “Skeeter” Brown Memorial Series, featuring trotters that are non-winners of two pari-mutuel races, also went postward on Friday. Held In Balance (Jeff Nisonger) captured the first split in 1:59.1 over All B Over (Tyler Smith) and Fly Away Bumblebee (Kayne Kauffman). The second division went to E R Justiceforall (Ken Holliday), who bested Mojito As (Jason Brewer) and Hooray Wisconsin (Kyle Ater).
(Miami Valley Raceway)