Fresh off an all-time record handle, Hollywood Dayton Raceway will present the final four programs of its 70-day 2021 meet with 2 p.m. start times on Monday (Dec. 27) through Thursday (Dec. 30) of this coming week.
The Thursday (Dec. 23) program produced an all-sources handle of $850,522, the highest figure in the eight-year history of the southwest Ohio oval. The all-time total meet handle record is also in serious jeopardy.
A total of 910 races have been conducted thus far this season, good for an average of 13.79 races per card. With an average field size of 8.65, betting favourites have been winning at a 39.34 per cent clip. After seven consecutive years of post 5 being the winningest post position, it appears post 4 will prevail in 2021. Possibly due to the installation of a passing lane in September, horses starting from post 4 have won 160 races (17.6%), while post 5 has produced 139 winners (15.3%).
With four programs remaining, driver Tyler Smith is seeking his first Hollywood Dayton dash title. He has a 119-105 lead over Chris Page, followed in the top 10 by Tony Hall (95), Brett Miller (87), Jeremy Smith (77), Josh Sutton (76), Kayne Kauffman (72), Trevor Smith (53), Mitch Cushing (38) and Jason Beattie (28). The top four reinsmen have all earned over $1 million in purses, headed by Tyler Smith, whose mounts have banked $1,325,222 thus far.
On the training side, Ron Burke looks likely to capture his second local conditioners' crown. With a .389 UTRS, he holds a 49-35 advantage over runner-up Jason Brewer. The top 10 also includes Virgil Morgan Jr. (27), Peter Redder (24), J.D. Perrin (21), the trio of Mike Hitchcock, Chris McGuire and Kayne Kauffman (17 apiece), and the duo of Jeff Smith and Larry Finn (15 each). Horses hailing from the Burke Brigade have banked $717,163 at Hollywood Dayton through 66 dates.
The highlight of the closing day card on Thursday will be a $30,000 Open Pace. Dojea Gizmo, the winner of a $60,000 mini-series final for Open pacers in his last start, will be the likely favourite for the Black Magic Racing Stable.
(Hollywood Dayton Raceway)