The third week of the 2025 Oak Grove Racing meet brings fresh and formidable horsepower, featuring both a $30,000 USD Open Pace and a $30,000 USD Open Trot, along with the $22,000 USD Mini-Series 1 final.
Saulsbrook Victor makes his local debut in Monday's Open Pace, carded as the 10th race on a 12-race card, after a narrow 1:50 win over Mad Max Hanover and Macs Delight in a Winners Over Pace at The Meadowlands. A 30-time winner with $660,550 in the bank and a 1:48.1 lifetime mark taken at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the seven-year-old Source Of Pride-Atlanta Girl gelding has drawn post five in the seven-horse Open and will be driven by owner Brett MacDonald as the 2-1 morning-line favourite. Among his six rivals are Later Dudes (post seven, Trace Tetrick, 5-2), who held off fellow Ron Burke trainee Tip Top Cat (post six, Brandon Bates, 9-2) to win last week's Open in 1:51.1; and Muskateer Hanover (post three, Peter Wrenn, 7-2), who makes the second start of his five-year-old season after failing to threaten as the 9-5 favourite last week.
The Monday program also features the $22,000 USD final of Mini-Series 1, for $10,000 USD claiming pacers. Shark Solicitor, who was claimed out of both preliminary legs, looks to build off a second-place finish in round one and a 1:55.3 win in round two for new trainer Roni Vandervort, and Marcus Miller will drive the 5-2 early favourite from post five in the nine-horse field. Hurrikane Chuck also amassed a win and a second-place finish in preliminary action. He will start from post six as the 7-2 second choice for driver Pat Curtin and trainer Nikki Kosciolek.
Tuesday's Open Trot will feature Kentucky Sire Stakes standout Railee Something, an eight-time winner from 17 starts as a four-year-old, make her first purse start of 2025. The daughter of International Moni-Railee Priti ended last season with a clean sweep of the Kentucky Sire Stakes at Cumberland Run and enters off an 8-1/4 length qualifying win over Oak Grove on March 31. Brandon Bates drives Railee Something, who has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favourite, from post eight for trainer Roger Cullipher. To her immediate inside is Oh Look Magic (post seven, Trace Tetrick, 4-1), a Burke trainee who invades Kentucky following a 2-1/2-length win in an Open Handicap Trot at MGM Northfield Park on March 9.
On the simulcast front, fans at Oak Grove can wager on premier Thoroughbred action from Keeneland, in Lexington, Kentucky on both Monday and Tuesday, including the $1.25 million USD Blue Grass Stakes, which is carded as the 10th race on Tuesday's Keeneland program.
Live harness racing at Oak Grove will kick off on both Monday and Tuesday with a 1:45 p.m. (CDT) first post.
(With files Oak Grove Racing; photo of Saulsbrook Victor from a previous win)