Dayton, OH — Despite being assigned the outside post position and being relegated to an almost journey long first-up attack on the outside, Endeavor (Trace Tetrick) made his initial visit at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway a winning one in the Saturday (Nov. 24) $18,500 Open I Pace.

Endeavor was an impressive 1:50 winner in Saturday’s Tom Horner Sr. Memorial Open I Pace at Hollywood Dayton. Holton photo.

Tetrick left the gate hard enough to slip into the four-hole along the pylons briefly, but a sixteenth of a mile later launched his first-over assault that resulted in racing nearly side-by-side with Night Pro (Dale Decker) for well over a half-mile. After healthy fractions of :26.1, :54.2 and 1:21.3 Endeavor was able to pass Night Pro in the final strides of the 1:50 mile. Pocket sitter My Hero Ron (Tyler Smith) also was lapped on at the wire.

Endeavor has amassed 14 wins during his 5-year-old season, good for $166,910 in earnings. Dispatched at a surprisingly healthy 7-1 odds, he returned $17.80 for a $2 bet. Trainer Jeff Cullipher co-owns the son of American Ideal with partner Thomas Pollack.

A co-featured $15,000 Open II Pace was captured by Missile J (Josh Sutton) in 1:51.3, topping Doctor Carter (Jason Beattie) and Fourboltmane (Tyler Smith). Walter ‘Junior’ Haynes trains the winner, another 5-year-old son of American Ideal, Missile J races for John McGill and Brian Carsey. His seven 2018 wins have contributed to a seasonal bankroll of $147,820. He paid a $7.20 mutuel.