Dayton, OH – Despite 24-degree temperatures and never seeing the pylons, Granite captured the $18,500 Open Handicap Pace at Hollywood Dayton Raceway on Saturday night (Dec. 8) in 1:49.2.  The clocking was the fourth fastest in the five-year history of harness racing’s newest track, following only Donttellmeagain (1:47.4), State Treasurer (1:48.4) and Wiggle It Jiggleit (1:49.1)—all marks taken in editions of the Dayton Pacing Derby, a lucrative Grand Circuit event for older pacers in late September each season.

Granite tops Winwood Mac in an eye-popping 1:49.2 in Dayton’s Open Handicap on Saturday night. Conrad photo.

Granite, driven by the meet’s leading driver Jeremy Smith, left the gate with alacrity but had to settle for second-over position throughout the fray.  Night Pro (Dale Decker) assumed his normal position on the front end through the first two fractions of :26.1 and :54.0 with Sadiq Hanover (Dan Noble) in the pocket and Winwood Mac (Chris Page), the winner of two of the last three weekly features, challenging the leaders on the rim.

Granite, a son of Real Desire, was in tow in the outer flow until Winwood Mac cleared to the front off the final turn leaving the pair of 5-year-old stalwarts in a stretch-long duel to the wire.  The winning Ken Rucker trainee surged ahead a couple strides from the finish to establish a new lifetime mark.  Sadiq Hanover, claimed last week for $37,500, gave up little ground and raced gallantly to finish very close in the show position.

The Panhellenic Stable owns Granite, who won for the seventh time this season, 19th time in his career, and boosted his lifetime bounty to $348,910.

Next Saturday night (Dec. 15) Hollywood Dayton Raceway will present the fourth annual “Hoosiers vs. Buckeyes Drivers Challenge” with Hoosier Park’s top five available reinsmen taking on Hollywood Dayton’s current leading dash drivers in a six-race competition.  The Hoosiers will be represented by Trace Tetrick, Ricky Macomber Jr., Lewayne Miller, Mike Oosting and Brandon Bates.  The Buckeye squad will be comprised of Jeremy Smith, Dan Noble, Chris Page, Josh Sutton and Kayne Kauffman.