by Jason Roth, for Scioto Downs

Columbus, OH — Scioto Downs’ 2015 race meet went out in style Saturday (Sept 12) when the track hosted Ohio’s Super Night for the fifth consecutive year.

The weather was cool, dipping into the 50s, but the action was hot on the track. The $225,000 Jim Ewart Memorial, taken by Doo Wop Hanover and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. for trainer Steve Elliott, and the $30,000 Open Pace, won by E Z Noah and Dave Palone for trainer Rene Allard, were the fastest on the evening, both going in 1:49.2.

Conrad photo

Stacy Cahill presented Virgil Morgan Jr. his Trainer of the Year award, while Race Secretary Jason Roth presented Josh Sutton his Driver of the Year award.

Scioto Downs Racino continues to be a destination location and for the 2015 fiscal year (July 2014-June 2015) had the second highest net win of all Ohio Racinos with $140.7 million. This produced a purse fund which was extremely beneficial to horsemen, which in turn attracted more horseplayers than ever before.

The 95-day race meet concluded with 738 10-horse fields, out of a total 1,148 races; this led to an average 12 races per evening. Hosting weekday afternoon racing (on Tuesdays) for the first time, total handle was up 12 percent.

“We’re very happy with our 2015 racing season,” said General Manager of Racing Operations Stacy Cahill. “Our clubhouse was sold out virtually every weekend and on-track attendance was great on Fridays and Saturdays.”

Virgil Morgan Jr. took his 22nd consecutive Trainer of the Year title, having a 26.5 win percentage out of 366 starts at the Columbus oval. His 2015 UTR was .393, while horses he trained earned more than $1.1 million.

For the second consecutive year, Josh Sutton took Driver of the Year honors. He piloted 902 starters, with 185 wins and a .316 UDR.

The 2016 race dates will be announced by the Ohio State Racing Commission in the fourth quarter of 2015. To stay up-to-date with the winter activities happening at Scioto Downs, visit www.sciotodowns.com.