Heavily-favoured Avaline Hanover, a Dragon Again filly making just her eighth start, won the $20,000 championship leg of the George ‘Red’ Owens Memorial Series in convincing fashion at Miami Valley on Sunday afternoon, March 31.
Driver Chris Page used the rail post position to maximum advantage, parking longshot Dojea Rita to the quarter mile marker in :27.3, then coasting through subsequent quarters in :56.1, 1:25.3 and 1:54.2 to claim the late closer title.
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Avaline Hanover towed Home Town Girl through the finish line as runnerup, while Bens Jenna found enough racing room in the stretch to finish third. The winner is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Lawrence Karr, J & T Silva, Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. Her four wins, three seconds and one third in eight starts have earned $39,040 in addition to launching a promising career.
The ‘Red’ Owens series is one of nine that comprise the annual Lebanon Legends events for green pacers and trotters. At the start of the Owens, each filly was a non-winner of two races or $20,000 lifetime.
A race later the Burke Brigade and driver Chris Page scored another feature-race victory when Mission Accepted made her initial 2019 start a successful one in the $25,000 Open Trot.
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The four-year-old son of Manofmanymissions was campaigned by trainer Jeff Conger at ages two and three—earning $370,454—before being moved to the Ron Burke barn. After working hard to gain the front just after passing the :28.2 quarter, Page throttled the winner back to :56.1 and 1:25.4 clockings before finishing a three-length winner in 1:55.1. Mugshot Man rallied from seventh early to claim the place position and Lets Go Bucks grabbed the show dough.
Page had a monster weekend at Miami Valley, winning a dozen races over the past three days. Following three wins on Friday, the 35-year-old reinsman exploded with five wins on Saturday and four more on the Sunday matinee. Currently in fourth place in the local dash derby, Page has narrowed the gap on the three leaders—Trace Tetrick, Brett Miller and Dan Noble. The top ten is rounded out by Tyler Smith, Kayne Kauffman, Josh Sutton, Jason Brewer, Mike Oosting and Kyle Ater.
Blueridge Doc copped the Sunday matinee finale, visiting the winner’s circle for the 50th time in a great career. The 13-year-old Mattnamaras Band gelding has earned $465,987 in his 366 lifetime starts. He is currently owned and trained by Tyler George while Trace Tetrick sat in the sulky.
(with files from Miami Valley)