Eldorado Scioto Downs had another record-breaking night on Thursday (June 4). Capitalizing on being one of a few tracks racing in North America, handle eclipsed the previous record of $1.6-million, set on May 28, during the 11th race. By the time the 15-race card finished, $2.09-million was wagered on the evening.
“Not only do we want our horsemen to race, but we wanted to capitalize on being the only harness track in the United States racing Thursday night,” said Joe Morris, the Senior Vice President of Racing for Eldorado Resorts. “I called Jason Roth on Sunday afternoon to see if we could card 15 races for the evening. He added a couple of races to the condition sheet and the horsemen answered by dropping 279 horses in the box.”
Not seen much in racing except for the Au Revoir races in December, there was a 41-year-old trifecta in the evening’s 13th race for $6,000 claimers. The 13-year-old Cambassador (Jeremy Smith) won his 48th career start by a nose over the 14-year-old Midnight Gambol (Aaron Merriman) with another 14-year-old, Pence Hanover (Tyler Smith), getting up for third.
Racing continues Friday (June 5) with 14 races on the card, including a Super High-Five $12,872 carryover for the ninth race. The card showcases the return of older trotting star Guardian Angel As who will make his first start of the 2020 season for trainer Anette Lorentzon. The six-year-old stallion by Archangel earned more than $800,000 in 16 starts last year by winning the Maple Leaf Trot, Spirit of Massachusetts, Cleveland Classic and Maxie Lee Invitational, while also finishing fourth in the $1-million International Trot at Yonkers. Elliott Deaton will be at the lines as Guardian Angel As starts from post eight in a 10-horse field. He'll face off against the impressive import Majestic Player A (Brett Miller) who has already earned $62,750 in six starts this year.
Scioto next hosts live harness racing on Sunday (June 7). The typical Saturday evening card was moved to Sunday to capitalize on less competition as more tracks open across North America.
(with files from Scioto)