Miami Valley Raceway closed the books on its ninth season of live harness racing on Saturday (May 7), concluding with a card that included four $55,000 Ohio Sires Stakes divisions for sophomore colts (separate story) and a $30,000 Open Trot.
Before a packed house on Kentucky Derby Day, Action Uncle (Brett Miller) dominated the featured Open Trot beating Flemsteen (Aaron Merriman) by 11 lengths with A Fancy Face (Austin Hanners) crossing the finish line in third. Action Uncle caught a cozy pocket spot in the early going, but as the odds-on favourite chose to move to the point by a length in the second quarter. He extended the lead to two lengths three-quarters of the way, then to six lengths by the head of the stretch. With the outcome already determined, the winner trotted confidently through the wire with little, if any, urging from Miller.
It was the first win in about a year and a half for the five-year-old horse by Uncle Peter. He missed his entire four-year-old season while on the mend from a broken coffin bone suffered at the end of his three-year-old season.
The quick clocking was just three-fifths of a second off the track trotting record for five-year-olds and up, taken by Insomniac (Brady Galliers) in 2019. It was Action Uncle’s third start back from the injury and established a new lifetime mark for the Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee. Unfortunately, it was confirmed by the track veterinarian that Action Uncle was lame after the race and may have suffered another injury.
His owners are Carl Howard, Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. A dominating juvenile performer, Action Uncle is approaching $600,000 in career earnings.
It was day for favourites and lifetime marks as the first leg of Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) action ended at Miami Valley Raceway.
Four divisions, two trotters and two pacers, each racing for $55,000, saw three of the four favourites win. Two lifetime marks were set by the winners, with one tying his lifetime best.
In the first division of sophomore trotting colts, Doo Wop Kid set a lifetime mark as the only non-favourite to win. The victory was the first in six starts this year for Doo Wop Kid and trainer Dalton Walls.
Starting from the rail, Tony Hall settled Doo Wop Kid in the pocket behind What The Blaze and Dan Noble. What the Blaze set fractions of :27, :57.1 and 1:25.4 only to see Doo Wop Kid make a move at the three-quarter pole and blow past the race leader.
Favourite Rose Run Xtra and Chris Page tracked the leader down the stretch but could get no closer than a length as Doo Wop Kid won by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:54.3. Gabbys Bit Coin finished third.
Doo Wop Kid paid $8.20 to win. The son of Wishing Stone is owned by Walls and Bruce Soulsby. Prior to today’s $27,500 payday, the biggest largest purse won by Doo Wop Kid was $5,000 from his maiden victory last year.
In the second division, Caviar Gold showed why he was the favourite. Aaron Merriman took the son of Triumphant Caviar to the lead at the start, but yielded the lead at the quarter pole to Motto and Tyler Smith in :28.2. Caviar Gold immediately retook the lead and never looked back, cruising to a 2-1/4-length victory in 1:54, paying $2.80 to win. Caviar Gold was the only winner not to set or tie a lifetime mark, missing by just a fifth of a second. Motto hung on for second while Chulo finished third.
Trained by Chris Beaver, Caviar Gold is owned by Beaver, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming, and Steve Zeehandelar. Caviar Gold has won twice in three races this year and finished second in the other. He pushed his lifetime earnings to $146,500.
In the first division for the pacing colts, Tony Hall picked up his second Sires Stakes win of the afternoon as he took the even money favorite, Barrys Berries to the lead and cruised to an eight-length victory in 1:50.1. Seaside Way finished second with Sling Shock finishing third.
Barrys Berries cut fractions of :27.2, :55.2, and 1:23.1 and finished with a final quarter of :27 to win for the third time in four starts this year. He has now earned $62,500 this year. The son of Downbytheseaside is trained by Ron Burke and owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services, and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby.
In the final OHSS race of the first leg, Bythemissal and Chris Page waited until just past the half to make their move. Page pulled with cover and rolled down the back stretch going three-wide to grab the lead at the three-quarter mark in 1:23.2.
Bythemissal, by Downbytheseaside, cruised down the stretch to win by two lengths in 1:51.1, a lifetime mark. Terminator finished second with Risenshine Seaside finishing third.
Bythemissal paid $3.20. He has won his three lifetime starts, two this year and one last year. The win was the second of the day for Burke. Bythemissal is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Eric Good, Rich Lombardo Racing, and Weaver Bruscemi.
Ohio Sires Stakes action resumes June 3 with three-year-old pacing fillies squaring off in the second leg at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
(with files from Miami Valley and Ohio Sires Stakes)