Won For Gigi rallied from sixth in the early going to capture the $25,000 championship of the Dr. Don Mossbarger Memorial Series on Friday night (April 6) at Miami Valley Raceway.
Driven by Dan Noble, Won For Gigi unleashed a wicked three-wide brush at the halfway point of the race and pulled even with pacesetter and eventual runner-up Desire One (Chris Page) at the top of the stretch. With all the momentum, Won For Gigi cruised home a 3-1/2 length winner in 1:53.4 over the rain dampened surface listed as 'good.' Rockin Hot Lady (Trevor Smith) rode the pylons to a third-place finish.
Joe Seekman trains the winning four-year-old daughter of Santanna Blue Chip for his wife Tina and her partner L&L Devisser LLC. Won For Gigi’s lifetime bankroll soared past the $100,000 plateau with the triumph.
The series, for pacing mares who started the event without six pari-mutuel wins or $60,000, honours the memory of Dr. Don Mossbarger, a pillar in Ohio harness racing for many decades — primarily as the founder and patriarch of Midland Acres.
With the weather worsening, the $25,000 Mares Open Pace two races later resulted in a 12-1 upset by Colorful Sky (Aaron Merriman), who just edged 25-1 Dalianna (Randy Tharps) in 1:55.3. Zoe Ellasen (Tyler Smith), who set all the early fractions, held for third.
Nicole Stewart conditions the six-year-old daughter of Skydancer Hanover for owner Grant Wilfong. It was the 20th win for Colorful Sky in just under 100 starts, boosting her career bounty to $165,727. Her backers got $27.80 for a $2 bet, while the exacta kicked back a whopping $520.20.
The Saturday night card at Miami Valley will feature the $27,500 Tom Tharps Memorial championship race as well as a $23,000 Open Handicap. Post time is 6:05 p.m.
(With files from Miami Valley Raceway)