Some compelling matchups highlight the trio of $30,000 USD Open events this week at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel as anticipation continues to build towards the upcoming $500,000 USD Oak Grove Trotting Derby in May.
Pacers Poised To Spar In Monday Feature
Four of the seven horses in the Open Handicap Pace feature on Monday, April 20 — carded as Race 6 on the 13-race card — are in search of consecutive wins, including two aiming to repeat in top-level events.
Off his first-over grind to a seasonal-best 1:50.4 score two weeks ago, Admiral Hill has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favourite and will start from post six. Atlee Bender returns to drive the six-year-old Sweet Lou-Laura Hill gelding, a 29-time winner in 69 career starts, for trainer Per Engblom. He is flanked by Ron Burke trainee Tip Top Cat (PP5, Ronnie Wrenn Jr., 5-2), who was a sharp 1:50.1 winner in the March 30 Open, and Ardens Ace N (PP7, Lewayne Miller, 7-2), who invades from Harrah's Hoosier Park after back-to-back Open wins, including a gritty 1:50.3 score on April 3.
In the co-featured Fillies and Mares Open Pace, carded as Race 2, Yankee B Something looks to repeat after staving off a late bid from Lyin Eyes for a 1:50.3 win last week. Geremy Bobbitt again drives the six-year-old Always B Miki-Somethinginawater mare, who has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favourite and will start from post two, for trainer Jimmy Watson.
Stage Set For Tuesday Trotting Showdown
Two past feature winners this meet in Drink Up Drink Up and Cecil Hanover are poised to square off in Tuesday's Open Handicap Trot, carded as the sixth of 12 races on the program. But their six rivals are intent on making the top event anything but a match race.
Cecil Hanover, the 2-1 morning-line favourite from post eight, coasted to a 1:54.2 win in last week's Open Handicap after a narrow defeat to Ponda Jet in his local Open debut two weeks prior. Devon Tharps will again drive the six-year-old Chapter Seven-Columbia gelding for Engblom.
To his immediate inside is Drink Up Drink Up, a four-time winner from six starts this year and the winner of the first Open Trot of the meet. Installed as the 5-2 second choice, the six-year-old Trixton-Homefortheholidays gelding returns to the Bluegrass State after a front-stepping 1:54.4 win in the April 8 Open at Hoosier Park, and Brandon Bates will again drive for trainer Walter Haynes Jr.
A pair of Julie Miller trainees will look to upend the favourites. Little Expensive (PP6, Tyler Miller, 9-2), an 18-time winner in his career from 63 starts, rallied furiously but belatedly for a no-match second to Cecil Hanover in their meeting last week, and Herecomesdajudge (PP5, Atlee Bender, 5-1) seeks to improve after being just nabbed for second by his stablemate off a pocket trip in that race.
Post time both days is 1:10 p.m. (CDT).
(Oak Grove; photo of Admiral Hill winning on April 6)