Oak Grove, KY – Just about one month remains for the record-breaking 2026 season of harness racing at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel and the track continued to sustain year-over-year growth even during a quieter week between Kentucky Sire Stakes action and with other major stakes surrounding the calendar.
Despite no stakes or open events going postward over the Monday (June 8) and Tuesday (June 9) cards, Oak Grove still saw action-packed racing with several remarkable performances. A pair of racing veterans found the winner’s circle on Monday with 12-year-old Takeittotheface upsetting an $11,000 conditioned pace early in the card and 10-year-old Mystical Charger winning a few races later in a 1:51.4 mile, just under one second from his lifetime best. Trainer Bob Cleary also brought down his enigmatic Irish gelding Nosmalltalk IR from Ohio to rattle his sixth win in a row stateside in a 1:50.3 mile, giving the son of Sweet Lou 15 victories in his career from 17 starts.
Oak Grove has also been no stranger to horses returning to the track from lengthy layoffs, but one managed to score a resounding win on the Tuesday card. C. Alan Finn trainee Playtorock ripped from midfield to collar loose 4-5 favorite Street Boy for a victory in 1:52.2. Playtorock, a 6-year-old gelding by Travel Playlist, made his first start since September of 2024, where he was racing in Illinois fairs. He rallied with a :55.2 back half to win a $10,000 conditioned pace on Tuesday, but more remarkably he found the winner’s circle at Oak Grove after being involved in an accident at the track back in 2024. He paid $15.82 to win in his return to the races as one of four victories on the Tuesday card for driver Atlee Bender. The victory also was the first for trainer Alan Finn since 2022.
The following race was declared a no contest due to an incident on the last turn where the two horses along with drivers Archie Buford and Marvin Luna thankfully emerged uninjured. And while driver Luna was taken to hospital for precautionary evaluation and eventually cleared from injury, Buford stayed with his remaining drives on the afternoon and found the winner’s circle three races after he rolled off his bike from Youngblood’s tumble. Buford stormed from off the speed with Marna Shehan trainee Flo Jo to nail a 1:52.3 victory in a $13,000 overnight pace.
A long-awaited win came towards the end of the card on Tuesday for the 4-year-old Bettor’s Wish mare My Uptown Wish. The mare, a homebred owned, trained and driven by JD Lewis of Harvest, Ala., became a local favorite for her eye-catching charges towards the final turn, but an Oak Grove win long eluded her. She finally found a spot where her punch could land and she decimated a $10,000 overnight group with an 11-length romp in a 1:53.1 mile. The win was just the second in her career from 21 starts and she paid $3.26 to win.
Gross handle coming towards the last month of racing remains up 23 percent year over year with just one additional race day this season. Oak Grove managed level wagering through the week compared year over year with the added variable of weather delays interrupting both the Monday and Tuesday cards, including one of the few times this season races have been contested on anything less than a track rated “fast”. Even with the torrential downpours, the surface managed no worse than wet-fast both days and eventually upgraded to fast later in the Monday card.
Joey Putnam, Atlee Bender and Marcus Miller led all drivers this week with five wins each while Devon Tharps and Jamaal Denson notched doubles. Bender holds a firm lead in the drivers’ standings with 39 wins on the meet followed by Marcus Miller in second with 29 wins. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. holds third with 24 wins and Joey Putnam moved into fourth with 21 wins. Only three trainers managed to register doubles this week: Matt Rodriguez, Jamaal Denson and Joe Putnam. Ron Burke meanwhile remains atop the training standings with 20 wins on the meet followed by Erv Miller in second with 18 wins and a tie for third between Tony Dinges and Wayne Oke with 15 wins.
Racing resumes at Oak Grove on Monday (June 15) with the third preliminary of Kentucky Sire Stakes action for 4-year-olds. First-race post time is 1:10 p.m. (CDT). Please note Oak Grove has also added two more race days for this season: Wednesday, June 24 and Wednesday, July 8. First-race post time for both Wednesday cards will also be 1:10 p.m. (CDT). For more information, including free past performance pages and race-by-race insight from analyst Ray Cotolo, visit www.oakgrovegaming.com.