Dayson wins in first try at Miami Valley
April 28, 2019,Lebanon, OH — Million dollar winner Dayson (Chris Page) made his inaugural appearance at Miami Valley Raceway on Sunday afternoon (April 28) and promptly notched his first win in the $25,000 Doug Stovall Memorial Open Trot.
Millionaire Dayson made his initial visit to Miami Valley a successful one winning the $25,000 Doug Stovall Open Trot. Conrad photo.
Following three straight Preferred class victories at The Meadows to start his 2019 campaign the 6-year-old son of Conway Hall was shipped by trainer Ron Burke to his Ohio contingent for his latest test. Despite being assigned the outside post position in the talented nine-horse field, Dayson patiently forged forward before gaining command shortly after passing the :28 first quarter station.
After getting a relative breather to the :57.1 halfway point, challengers came calling in the third stanza with Pine Dream (Trace Tetrick) hot on Page’s back and Jailhouse Sam (Hugh Beatty) and No Whip Chip (Dan Noble) stacked in the outer flow. With Jailhouse Sam lapped on at the 1:25.4 three-quarter beam, Page decided to let Dayson out a notch and he responded by opening enough daylight to discourage any would-be upsetters. Pine Dream did stay in tow enough to garner runner-up laurels, while longshot Pittsburgh Hanover (Brady Galliers) trotted strongly through the stretch to grab the show dough.
Earlier on the card, Sumthenforthegirlz (Dan Noble) was victorious in the Barry Langley Memorial, a condition/claiming event honoring the memory of a fellow southwest Ohio horseman lost far too soon. The local horse community was shocked and saddened by the passing of Langley, just 33 years old, earlier this year.
The C.K.G. Billings series for amateur drivers also made its annual stop at Miami Valley on Sunday. Undercover Strike (Gregg Keidel) bested Super Rock (Brian Miller) and Song In My Heart (Tim Miller) in the first of over 20 Midwest Division stops at Northfield Park, Scioto Downs, Dayton Raceway and The Meadows—plus several fairs– in the next six months. Chris Allen trains Undercover Strike, an 11-year-old son of Striking Sahbra, for owner Joe Cirasuola. This 1:57.2 score was the 33rd for the winner from 126 starts, including seven wins from just 23 starts over the last two years.