‘WIJI’ And ‘Miki’ Set To Clash Again

Always B Miki and Wiggle It Jiggleit, the two most dominant active pacers in the world, will match strides for the seventh time this season in the $150,000 Dayton Pacing Derby at Hollywood Dayton Raceway on Friday night (September 30).

Always B Miki has won three of their head-to-head match-ups, as he won the Jim Ewart Memorial, the William Haughton Memorial and the Ben Franklin. Wiggle It Jiggleit was victorious in the Canadian Pacing Derby and the Dan Patch, and was the runner-up to Shamballa in the U. S. Pacing Championship where Always B Miki finished fourth.

Always B Miki has been installed as the 6-5 morning line favourite on the strength of his recent 1:48.2 win in the Hoosier Pacing Derby. Always Be Miki has drawn the advantageous Post 2 behind the starting gate. Wiggle It Jiggleit, the richest horse in the field with $3,612,832 in career earnings, will be 8-5 when the betting opens. He, too, triumphed in his last outing, the Bobby Quillen Memorial at Harrington Raceway. Each pacer has won seven races in 1:50 or faster in 2016.

Driver David Miller will return to his native Ohio to drive Always B Miki, who has amassed a $2,189,868 bankroll. He is trained by Jimmy Takter for owners Bluewood Stable, Roll The Dice Stable and Christine Takter. Montrell Teague will be in his customary seat behind Wiggle It Jiggleit when the pair leave from Post 5 for owners George Teague Jr. and the Teague Racing Partnership and trainer Clyde Francis.

Three other millionaire horses will challenge for Dayton Pacing Derby laurels. All Bets Off has earned $2,072,123, Freaky Feet Pete has won $1,519,781, while Luck Be Withyou has banked $1,312,781. The other two contestants are Shamballa, who has $738,641 in his coffer, and Always At My Place, whose 27 lifetime wins have netted $529,672 in earnings.

Collectively the illustrious field for the Dayton Pacing Derby has won 188 races and $11,975,698.

The $160,000 Dayton Trotting Derby will be contested the same evening and will feature a full field of many of North America’s elite squaregaiters. Shake It Cerry, the lone mare in the race, has been tabbed as the 2-1 morning line favourite for owners Solveig’s Racing Partners and trainer Jimmy Takter. Second choice at 3-1 will be Homicide Hunter, followed by Obrigado (7-2), Wind Of the North (9-2) and Crazy Wow (6-1). Others chasing the Trotting Derby title are Maestro Blue Chip (8-1), Il Sogno Dream (10-1), Centurion ATM (12-1) and Penn (15-1).

In total, the nine trotting contestants have won exactly 200 races and $8,779,489.

The Friday night undercard features three open-class events leading up to the pair of featured Grand Circuit events. Post time for the Dayton Trotting Derby is approximately 9:30 p.m. with the Dayton Pacing Derby post time estimated as 9:56 p.m.

(Hollywood Dayton Raceway)