Columbus, OH – For the 32nd straight year, Virgil Morgan, Jr. topped the trainer leaderboard at Eldorado Scioto Downs with 141 wins during the 91-day meet that concluded on Saturday (Sept. 19).
“I’m grateful for my help, all the people I work with, owners, clients, partners,” said Morgan. “Just a good group of horses this year and a lot of hard work with everybody on the team and it’s paid off. I greatly appreciate them.
“I don’t take winning for granted. I think when I was younger, I did. But I try to appreciate it more.”
Morgan, a native of Grove City which is just 8.5 miles away from Scioto, was the first harness racing trainer to win 5,000 races and has now won more than 8,100 races and nearly $86-million in earnings. The 60-year-old currently sits sixth on the top trainers of all-time list by earnings and second by wins, as put out by the USTA. He was inducted into the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2021.
Chris Page was named Scioto’s leading driver for the second year in a row, securing 231 wins, with four victories on closing night. Less than two months ago, Page notched his 8,000th career driving win, also at Scioto. Luke Hanners finished second in the driver standings with 211 victories; rounding out the top five were Tyler Smith, Brett Miller and Austin Hanners.
While Scioto’s racing season came to a close Saturday, Morgan is looking forward to four more racing dates at the south Columbus oval in October.
“It’s awesome (that the Breeders Crown is coming to Scioto). It’s a long time coming. I think we’ve arrived. I think we’re a marquee state, a marquee track. The paddock, the grandstand – the millions of dollars that were poured into that. I’m really excited for it and I think we’ll do a great job here.”
Scioto Downs will host the Breeders Crown eliminations October 16-17 and the finals October 23-24. More information about the Breeders Crown at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.