Columbus, OH — With just four race nights left to go in the 2025 racing season at Eldorado Scioto Downs, the leading driver race is shaping to be a head-to-head battle down to the wire.
After the Friday (Sept. 5) race card, Dan Noble and Chris Page are tied with 220 wins each. Page has logged 985 starts and earned over $2.7 million in purses, while Noble has 946 starts and over $2.9 million earned for his horses’ connections. Brett Miller rounds out the trifecta, a distanced third with 135 wins.
Trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. seems to have secured his 31st consecutive training title as he currently sits atop the leaderboard with 99 wins in 476 starts. The nation’s leading trainer, Ron Burke, sits second with 93 victories in 406 starts.
Racing heats up Saturday (Sept. 6), with the Grade 2 Jim Ewart Memorial Pace and Charlie Hill Memorial Trot, both going to post with a full field of 10 vying for the winner’s share of $250,000.
Hillexotic comes into the Charlie Hill as the 5-2 morning-line favorite off a third-place finish in the Maple Leaf Trot. Just one month ago, Dave Palone and Hillexotic lowered the all-time trotting track record at The Meadows, trotting the mile in 1:50.3. Austin Hanners will drive for Todd Luther.
Captain Albano comes into the Jim Ewart as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Noel Daley and Todd McCarthy.
The 2025 edition of the Ewart is the 12th edition of the event, which began in 2013 (no race was held in 2020 due to COVID). Past winners include inaugural champion Pet Rock, Always B Miki, two-time winner McWicked, Tattoo Artist, and 2024 winner Little Rocket Man. The race is named after Scioto’s race secretary for 26 years, Jim Ewart, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 72 after a battle with cancer.
Started just one year after the Ewart, this edition of the Charlie Hill will be its 11th. Modern Family won the first edition, with other winners including Bee A Magician, Crazy Wow, Homicide Hunter, Atlanta, Cuatro De Julio, and 2024 winner Winner’s Bet. Charlie Hill, who opened Scioto in 1959 and served as its president for 30 years, died in 1991. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1995.
All horses in the Ewart and Hill races must be in detention six hours prior to their scheduled post.
Also on the Saturday night card are six divisions of the Ohio Sires Stakes for 2-year-old pacers and 3-year-old trotters and filly pacers, and a $50,000 Open.
The 90-day 2025 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet is down to the last week, running through Saturday, Sept. 13. After Saturday’s (Sept. 6) card, racing will continue Wednesday-Saturday. First post for all scheduled race days is 5:45 p.m. with the exception of Friday, Sept. 12. A special late first post of 6:45 p.m. will help accommodate horsepeople attending the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale. More information about racing at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.