Trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. took both Opens on Friday, May 31 at Eldorado Scioto Downs. In a five-horse mad dash for the finish, Refined came out victorious in the $36,986 Open Trot in 1:53.2, while Strong Poison took the $35,616 Fillies & Mares Open Pace in 1:49.4.
Parked three-wide into the turn from post five in the Open Trot, Smoking Jet (Chris Page) took over by the :26.4 opening quarter from Refined (Tony Hall), who yielded for the pocket trip. Rose Run Yolanda (Jeremy Smith) moved at the three-eighths pole for a first-up bid and got up to the leader by the :56.3 half. Race favourite Spitfire Oversees, who was assigned post nine, was second over for Brett Miller and tipped three-wide after the 1:24.4 third quarter.
With five in and four out, only six lengths separated nine of the 10 horses in the field. Refined went up the passing lane to win by a quarter-length over Flemsteen (Tyler Smith), who trotted down the middle of the stretch with a late-closing kick. Smoking Jet held on for third with Spitfire Oversees fourth. Rose Run Yolanda finished fifth and completed the five-horse blanket finish.
Refined (pictured above) is owned by Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. The trotting mare now has two wins in five seasonal starts with Friday’s win putting her at $1,094,828 in lifetime earnings. The eight-year-old daughter of Uncle Peter out of the Malabar Man mare Reinvent was a $15,000 purchase from the 2017 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Leaving straight for the front out of post eight in the Mares Open Pace, Strong Poison led at every point of call with Sam Widger at the lines. After hitting the beam in :26.2, :54.1 and 1:21.3, Strong Poison held on by a neck over stablemate Trick of The Light (Dan Noble). Racing For Three (Trevor Smith) closed from the back of the pack to get up for third.
Owned by Let It Ride and Odds On Racing, Strong Poison is now two-for-three on the season and is closing in on $950,000 in lifetime earnings. The four-year-old mare is by Always B Miki out of the Rocknroll Hanover mare Fiyonce was a $50,000 purchase at the Lexington Selected Sale in 2021 by her dam’s racing connections, Burke Racing and partners. She was then sold in the 2023 Mixed Sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for $250,000.
(Scioto Downs)