Pass The Vape survived a first-over journey for driver Dan Noble in the Monday $30,000 Open Handicap Trot at Miami Valley to post a 1:53 victory.
After tucking in fourth through the opening :27.3 panel, Noble pulled the seven-year-old son of Dejarmbro prior to the :56.4 halfway point. By the 1:24.2 three quarters station, Pass The Vape was lapped on the front-runner Pick Me Upper (Tony Hall), who had left the gate with abandon from the outside post position. The winner showed the most determination in the homestretch, holding off closers Pure Chance (Sam Widger) and Burrow (Kayne Kauffman) with a :28.2 closing kick of his own. Stablemates Pick Me Upper and I Know My Chip (Tyler Smith) from the Walter Haynes, Jr. barn couldn’t be separated by the photo finish camera and thus dead-heated for fourth.
Lionel Watiker entrusts Andre Nared with Pass The Vape’s conditioning. On the current campaign, the 31-time career winner has notched a 10-3-3-1 scorecard good for $67,500 in seasonal earnings.
The first leg of the Robert J. Brown Memorial Series for non-winners of two pari-mutuel races or $20,000 also went postward on Monday in two divisions.
Forceful Power (Hugh Beatty) pulled a mile upset ($18.40) in the first $12,000 split with a 1:55.3 triumph over Shamrocks (Jeremy Smith) and Spent (Brett Miller). Stephen Sexton owns the four-year-old daughter of Triumphant Caviar who won $18,825 as a two-year-old, but missed her entire sophomore season.
Second division winner Heart Stopping (Kurt Sugg) is also a late bloomer. The four-year-old well bred son of Muscle Hill never made a start until this season, but has now captured five of his first six races. The heavy favourite ($2.60) held Motto (Chris Page) and Doo Wop Kid (LeWayne Miller) at bay in the 1:54.1 mile Heart Stopping is owned by Serenity Racing Stable and trained by Sugg’s right hand man Edward Miller.
Racing at Miami Valley continues on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons this week with a 4:05 p.m. post time each day.
(Miami Valley Raceway)