Dayton, OH — Warraweeforlaura was put in a great position by driver Chris Page, and the pacer responded with a solid effort to take the second of a pair of $18,000 condition claiming events Friday evening (Dec. 5) at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway.
The action was early and often when the gate’s wings folded with three horses sticking a nose ahead in the first three-eighths of the mile.
Bars And Notes (Trace Tetrick) was wide in the :27 first quarter.
A lack of pressure allowed the favored leader to get a brief breather with a :28.2 second panel.
Fly High Cruiser (Brett Miller) came first-up and pressured Bars And Notes at the three-quarters in 1:22.4.
Page had a handful of Warraweeforlaura and was able to unleash the gelding in the passing lane, and he sprinted clear of the leader in 1:51.1.
EZ Spree (David Miller) was flying late for second. Bars And Notes held on for third.
It was the sixth win of the season for the 4-year-old son of All Bets Off.
Warraweeforlaura is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Phillip Collura.
The second division went to McTorious, who scored for the fifth time this season.
Trevor Smith had McTorious on his toes at the start and received the first call.
Who Dey Nation (Trace Tetrick) was wide in the opening quarter of :26.4 and was forced to go on to the front, putting McTorious into the pocket.
The drivers were content with their positions and the lack of a real challenge allowed Who Dey Nation a comfortable :56.2 half.
As they straightened up down the backstretch, Smith and McTorious were forced out of the pocket thanks to a brush by Draw Off (Pat Melloy Jr.).
Within a few strides, McTorious cleared to the front and passed the three-quarters in 1:24.1.
The leader was under wraps and cruised to a 3-1/4-length win in 1:51.4.
Who Dey Nation was second and Fear The Madness (Austin Hanners) completed the top three.
The winner is trained by Jeff Smith for the partnership of John Van Horn and Down The Lane Stables.
It was the fifth seasonal win for the McArdle gelding.
Saturday’s card (Dec. 6) will feature the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association’s annual Charity Night with 10 Dayton area charities being teamed up with local horses to race for a total of $32,000. Post time is 4 p.m.; free past performance pages are available at hollywooddaytonraceway.com.