The Arthritis Foundation and the American Red Cross were the big winners at the ninth annual Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association Charity Night held at Eldorado Scioto Downs this past weekend.
Twenty charities participated in the event on Saturday, Aug. 28, each being paired with a horse. Each charity received a donation from the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association for participating, with the top three finishers receiving larger donations - $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place and $2,500 for third place. All other finishers received $2,000 donations.
In the first charity race, Josh Sutton took Kiss Of Terror to the lead at the quarter pole and never looked back winning for the Arthritis Foundation. Savage Seelster finished second for the Ronald McDonald House, while Lucifers Legend A was third for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. The other charities that were represented in the race were Dublin Youth Athletics, St. Patrick’s School, Buckeye Diamond Club, Canine Companions, Special Olympics of Pickaway County, JDRF Diabetes Foundation, and MASH Pantry of Grove City.
In the second charity races of the night, Elver Hanover and Chris Page grabbed the lead from Dojea Gizmo and Trevor Smith at the three-quarter pole and held on to win by a neck for the American Red Cross. Dojea Gizmo finished second for Warrior Bags, while third place went to Wild Bill and the Delaware County Foundation. The other charities represented in the race were Girls On The Run, Haven House of Pickaway County, USO, Columbus Schools Special Olympics, Ohio 4-H Development, PBJ Connections and Ohio FFA.
A total of $63,000 was donated to the charities by the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association.
(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association)