Racing started off hot on Saturday night at Eldorado Scioto Downs when the first race went in 1:49.1. Bythemissal did not disappoint seven races later winning the $36,111 Open Pace in dominating fashion, under wraps, in 1:48.3.
Chris Page took the Ron Burke trainee straight to the front from post five and cleared just as they hit the quarter in :26. Comfortably leading through fractions of :54.4 and 1:21.3, Bythemissal stretched his legs down the stretch to win by 4-1/4 lengths. His winning time was just one-fifth of a second off the North American season's record. Carbine (Austin Hanners) came up the inside to get up for second while Artatac A (Dan Noble) was third.
Bythemissal, a six-year-old Downbytheseaside-Dismissal gelding, is owned by Burke Racing, Eric Good, Rich Lombardo and Weaver Bruscemi. The victory on Saturday was in just his second seasonal start after finishing third in the Pacey Mindlin Memorial invitational at Miami Valley Raceway last week. Bythemissal, the 2022 Little Brown Jug winner, now has more than $2.5 million in earnings with 28 lifetime wins in 43 starts.
The win with Bythemissal was the fifth straight on the evening for Page, four of which were for Burke. The first win on the evening for the duo was in the Carols Comet Pace for Ohio-sired three-year-olds who were non-winners of $70,000 USD life. Fear The Hate left from post seven and was three-wide around the first turn before taking the lead and hitting every other quarter first. The Fear The Dragon-The Mad Hatter colt won by a length and three-quarters in 1:51.4.
Four races later, the Page/Burke combination struck again in the K F Pro Sam Series for Ohio-sired three and four-year-olds who are winners over $70,000 USD lifetime but four-year-olds who are not over $150,000 USD life. Leaving A Legend came from behind after settling in last from post nine. Coming three-wide around the last turn, Leaving A Legend, by Bit Of A Legend N out of Leaving A Legacy, won by a length and a half in 1:50.1.
Through the first three cards of the season, Scioto’s longtime leading trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. has six wins in 27 starts. The 2024 leading driver, Dan Noble, has the early lead with 12 wins in 44 starts.
Racing at Scioto takes a break until Tuesday evening, with another 16-race card going postward at 5:45 p.m. New for the 2025 season is the $7,500 guaranteed mid-card Pick-4 each weekday, starting in race seven. Saturday’s late Pick-5 was not hit, so there will be a $1,189 carryover into the early Pick-5 starting in race one Tuesday.
(With files from Scioto Downs)