Grand Circuit action took center stage at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday, Sept. 7 with the $351,351 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot and $337,838 Jim Ewart Memorial Pace.
Winners Bet set a new track record for four-year-old stallions winning the Charlie Hill in 1:50.4.
Dexter Dunn got Winners Bet away seventh from post five while Chapercraz (Yannick Gingras) took the early lead, hitting the quarter in :26.4. Lexus Kody (Chris Page) was sitting in the pocket, while Chapercraz slowed the pace down to hit the half in :56.3.
Winners Bet went first-over, with Chapercraz still comfortably in front by the 1:23.3 third quarter. Heading down the stretch, Winners Bet got by the leader to win by a length over Lexus Kody, who closed up the passing lane. Chapercraz was third.
“In the Maple Leaf [Trot elimination], he just got a little bit too anxious leaving behind the gate, he was trying to leave a hundred out of there and he just rolled over onto the gallop,” said trainer Nancy Takter of Winners Bet's last start on Aug. 23 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. “But he trained absolutely super this past week in Lexington and I thought he was going to put in a really good performance tonight.
“He races really well closer to the front in the past this year, but it was a huge effort on his part off of a slow half and then to trip the timer in a track record is really special.”
Winners Bet is owned by Lindy Farms of Connecticut and Robert Rudolph. Bred by S R F Stable, the son of Walner and Side Bet Hanover now has 11 wins in 28 lifetime starts and became harness racing's newest millionaire, but will look to add to those earnings with some big stake engagements yet this fall.
“He’ll probably go to Hoosier next for the Caesars and then we’ll have to decide if we’ll race in the Allerage and then the Breeders Crown,” said Takter.
Little Rocket Man won his third start in a row after a short break in July, taking the Jim Ewart Memorial Pace in 1:48.
David Miller got Little Rocket Man away fourth from post five while I Did It Myway (Matt Kakaley) took the lead and hit the quarter in :26.3. Miller pulled first-up going into the second turn and was sitting third as the field passed the :53.3 half. Charlie May (Dan Noble) sat in the pocket with Buzzsaw Russ (Yannick Gingras) at his helmet.
As the field hit the three-quarter pole in 1:20.3, Little Rocket Man was applying pressure to I Did It Myway and coming off the turn he went by to win by two lengths. Buzzsaw Russ closed up the passing lane to finish second and, in a six-horse photo for third, Charlie May came out victorious.
"[Trainer Ken Rucker] told me a little about him, but I’ve watched the horse race for four years -- I’ve raced with him,” said Miller of picking up the live catch-drive. “He looked pretty simple to get along with and he was, he was tremendous. I told Kenny this is a cool, cool horse.
“They were going fractions like that, and he felt real comfortable, he was kinda just cruising along there with them. I headed Matt there going into the last turn and I was still sitting, moving well. I felt pretty good then."
Little Rocket Man, an eight-year-old gelding by Rockin Image out of GT Miss Royal, is owned by Russell Beeman and Jack Freeman. The Ewart marked his 111 lifetime start and he has finished on the board 88 times, with 64 victories and more than $1.5 million in earnings.
Burke Freshman Colts Stay Undefeated In Ohio Sire Stakes; Sugar Instead's Sophomore Streak At Nine
Eight divisions of the Ohio Sire Stakes were part of the Saturday undercard at Scioto Downs.
Trainer Ron Burke’s duo of Swingtown and Rick Wink each took their division of the $87,838 two-year-old colt pace in 1:51.4 to stay undefeated in their fledgling careers.
Swingtown (Chris Page) got away fourth as Fabio Hanover (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) took the field to the :27 opening quarter but by the three-eighths pole Downbythewater (Chris Lems) had taken over the lead. By the :55.1 half, Swingtown was first-up and he took over by the 1:23 third quarter. Page had Swingtown under a hand drive, with the ear plugs still in, going under the line three lengths ahead of Odds On Valhalla (Brett Miller); Downbythewater finished third.
Swingtown, by Downbytheseaside out of the Art Major mare Swinging Beauty, is owned by Burke Racing, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services and R A S Racing. The colt is now five-for-five with $284,941 in earnings.
Rick Wink (Page) got away fifth from the trailing tier as Copper Penny (Wrenn Jr.) set fractions of :27.1, :55.4 and 1:23.3. Page pulled Rick Wink second-over and followed the cover of Extra Suds (Brett Miller). Rick Wink won by a quarter of a length over Extra Suds. My First Fire (Austin Hanners) was third.
Rick Wink, a colt by Bit Of A Legend N out of the McArdle mare Mcgrin N Mcbare It, is owned by Burke Racing, R A S Racing, Knox Services and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby. Rick Wink is now six-for-six with $234,455 in earnings.
The three-year-old colt trotters and three-year-old filly trotters competed in $135,135 divisions of the OHSS.
Tennessee Tom (Page) was victorious in the three-year-old colt trot, winning from post 11 in 1:54.4. Spaaaanzano (Aaron Merriman) took the early lead and led the field through fractions of :28.2, :57.4 and 1:26.3. Page had Tennessee Tom on the move second-over from the three-eighths pole and pulled three-wide around the last turn to win by a length. Hung Over (Miller) got the pocket trip and was second with Spaaaanzano holding on for third.
Tennessee Tom, by Long Tom out of the Muscle Massive mare Missive, is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, Hatfield Stables and Knox Services. The Burke trainee now has $876,504 earned in 18 starts with 11 wins.
Sugar Instead (Miller) won the lone three-year-old filly trot in 1:56. Legacy Affair (Wrenn Jr.) took the lead by the :28 opening quarter but Sugar Instead was quick to challenge from post nine to take over the lead, tripping the beam in :56.4 and 1:27. Createaqueen (Dan Noble) was second-over going down the backside and tipped three-wide around the last turn to finish second just a neck back. Legacy Affair was third.
Sugar Instead, by Volstead out of the Windsongs Legacy mare Sugar Pop, is owned by Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. The Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee now has $760,752 earned in 20 lifetime starts with 16 wins. She is a perfect nine-for-nine this season.
Both the OHSS three-year-old colt pace and three-year-old filly pace were split with divisions going for $87,838.
The heavy 1-9 favourite Seaside Diva (Page) took the first three-year-old filly pace division in 1:50.4. Page took Seaside Diva off the gate and sat fourth in the early going, as Calypso Pearl (Noble) hit the opening quarter in :26.2. By the :55.3 half, Seaside Diva had pulled first-up, with Calypso Pearl finally letting her go midway down the backstretch as the field headed to the 1:22.3 third quarter. Seaside Diva won by 2-1/2 lengths over Calypso Pearl. Daisys Star (Brady Galliers) was third.
Seaside Diva, by Downbytheseaside out of the Real Desire mare Real Diva, is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, Knox Services and Let It Ride Stables. The Ron Burke trainee now has $703,855 earned in 23 starts with 14 wins.
No Foolin April (Dexter Dunn) won the second three-year-old filly pace division in 1:51.2. Wasted On You (Miller) made the early lead and hit the quarter in :27.2 with No Foolin April getting the pocket trip. Wasted On You continued to lead through the :56.2 half and 1:24.1 three-quarters. Bath Bomb (Yannick Gingras) went first-up midway down the backside, settled in the pocket just past the three-quarter pole and angled back out midway through the last turn. Dunn took No Foolin April wide to win by a neck over Bath Bomb. Wasted On You was third.
No Foolin April, by Nob Hill High out of the Riverboat King mare Princess Baby Ella, is a homebred for owner/trainer Adam Short. She now has $187,714 earned in 23 lifetime starts with six wins.
Clever Cody, with Merriman up, went back to his winning ways by taking the first three-year-old colt pace division in 1:52. Getting away fifth at the :27.4 opening quarter as Hundred Dollar Man (Montrell Teague) lead the field through the :56 half, Merriman pulled Clever Cody first-up and by the 1:24 three-quarters was sitting second. Clever Cody went on to win by a 1-1/2 lengths over Nine One Oh Six (Noble). Rock The Hill (Josh Sutton) was third.
Clever Cody, by The Panderosa out of the Real Artist mare Cams Van Go, is owned by the Clever Cody Stable. The Ian Moore trainee now has $638,141 earned in 23 starts with 10 wins.
Pariss Dragon won the other division for three-year-old colt pacers by going gate-to-wire in 1:51.1. Rose Run Zane (Austin Hanners) sat in the pocket as Pariss Dragon (Dan Noble) set fractions of :27.3, :57 and 1:24. Pariss Dragon won by a half-length over Rose Run Zane, with Gansbaai (Michael Whelan) third.
Pariss Dragon, by Fear The Dragon out of the Pet Rock mare Lima Ooh La La, is owned by breeder Dennis Owens and Norman Rae Racing. The Christi Noble trainee now has $349,452 earned in 23 lifetime starts with nine wins.
The Saturday card also included the $40,541 Filly & Mare Open, won by My Red Sea. Goodell took the four-year-old mare by Downbytheseaside back to seventh from the nine-hole and came home in :27.2 to win by a length and three-quarters in 1:50.4. Jason Irwin trains My Red Sea for Jennifer Bongiorno Stable and Robert Weinstein.
Nashing Hill took the matching Open Pace in 1:48.4. The five-year-old gelded son of Racing Hill closed from the back of the pack to win by half a length over Muskateer Hanover (Tony Hall). Steve Carter trains Nashing Hill for Calwell Mamie Racing.
The 2024 Scioto Downs meet runs through Saturday, Sept. 14. Post time for the Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday cards is 5:45 p.m. Post time on Friday, Sept. 13 will be 6:45 p.m. to help accommodate horsepeople attending the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale.
(With files from Scioto Downs)