Lebanon, OH — Hey Hey Mama picked up her third win of the year by taking Thursday’s (April 2) $36,000 Filly & Mare Open Handicap Pace at Miami Valley Raceway.
Firing out from the rail in line to Luke Hanners, Hey Hey Mama protected inside position before ceding the lead to last week’s Open winner, No Foolin April. As they approached the quarter, No Foolin April jumped a pile of manure left on the track right before the start, making a quick break and forcing Hey Hey Mama to vacate the pocket and a few fillies behind to scatter. Hey Hey Mama pressed on to the lead while No Foolin April got right back to pacing and settled into the pocket past a :26.2 opening quarter. As the field neared the :55.2 half-mile juncture, Beautiful Seaside pulled first-over to challenge the leaders.
Hey Hey Mama continued to lead the field up the backside with Beautiful Seaside slowly closing in and No Foolin April sitting in the pocket. As they passed three-quarters in 1:22.2, Hey Hey Mama continued to lead by 1-1/2 lengths while Beautiful Seaside started to tire from her long first-over trip. As they turned for home, Hey Hey Mama held a 2-length advantage that ultimately dwindled as No Foolin April closed in from the outside, but Hey Hey Mama held strong and won by a length in 1:50.3.
No Foolin April finished second but was disqualified for interference at the quarter, thus Goo Goo Won was elevated to second and Foxy Hill was moved up to third.
For Hey Hey Mama, it was her 23rd lifetime win, bringing her career total earnings to just over $500,000. The win gave trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. half of a training double.
Hanners and Tyler Smith each had three driving wins on the card.
After 13 weeks at Miami Valley, David Miller (123) has started to tighten his grip on the lead of the drivers’ standings with a 12-win advantage over Chris Page (111). Luke Hanners (92) sits in third while Brett Miller (90) and Tyler Smith (66) round out the top five.
On the training side, Ron Burke (55) continues to lead the way by 10 wins over Virgil Morgan Jr. (45). Heather France (42) sits in third while Steve Carter (32) and Mike Hitchcock (23) round out the top five.
There is no racing at Miami Valley on Easter Sunday (April 5). Racing will return to the southwestern Ohio facility on Monday (April 6) with a first post time of 4 p.m.