Velocity Lady overtook favoured Marloe Hanover and stablemate Coral Reef Hanover in the final quarter mile to capture the initial $25,000 Mares Open of the recently opened 2022 Hollywood Dayton Raceway meet. It was the sixth win of the year for the five-year-old by Bettors Delight, boosting her seasonal earnings to over $90,000.
Driver Tony Hall was content to skim the pylons in third during the first three quarters of the race, then tipped wide to pass pocket-sitting Marloe Hanover and then engage Coral Reef Hanover. Brady Galliers conditions the winner and the show finisher for Galliers Racing LLC of Defiance, Ohio. As the second choice in the wagering, Velocity Lady returned $6.80 to her faithful.
Also on the Thursday card, driver Jeremy Smith reached a milestone. When piloting Manamongstboys to a 1:57.2 win in Race 10, Smith reached 3,000 victories in his career. The reinsman, who has competed since 2002, has been a main competitor in Ohio and has recorded over a hundred wins a season and a million in purses since 2012. From over 24,000 starts, he has earned over $21 million in purses.
Racing resumes Friday afternoon (Sept. 30) at 4:00 p.m. (EDT) with a powerful 14-race program, normally reserved for Saturday nights, featuring over $200,000 in purses. Then on Saturday (Oct. 1), Hollywood Dayton will host Ohio Super Night for the first time, with a one-time special post time of 6:30 p.m. In addition to the eight $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes championship races, the card includes four $250,000 Dayton Derby Grand Circuit showdowns featuring the best older pacers and trotters in North America. Total purses on Saturday will be $3.4 million making it the richest racing program in Ohio racing history.
Horsemen are reminded that there is a six-hour detention window for the Saturday card with the paddock doors opening at 12 p.m. (EDT).
(with files from Dayton Raceway)