Columbus, OH – Brett Miller got career driving win 11,000 on Friday night (May 15) at Eldorado Scioto Downs, five races before Skywalker Sea put her name in the record book with a 1:47.3 victory that made her the fastest 4-year-old female pacer in history on a five-eighths-mile track.
Miller got his milestone triumph with 4-year-old male trotter Vekna in Friday’s fourth race. Vekna, a son of Enterprise-Rare Book trained by Kayne Kauffman, won a $20,000 conditioned event by 4-3/4 lengths in 1:52. Miller won four of the card’s first five races.
A 52-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, Miller got his first lifetime win in 1992 at Northfield Park. He ranks 15th all time in career victories among North American drivers and is 19th in career purses, with nearly $129 million.
“I checked about a month ago and I was kind of keeping track there,” Miller said. “The last, I’d say, four race nights that we’ve had, I knew I was kind of closing in on it and things weren’t really going that good. So starting off the night good really helped.
“Truthfully, it was very special (to win with Vekna), because Kayne and I, we go way back. Kayne and Natalie, we’ve been friends since we were in our 20s. Before we went out, I thought I had a shot of getting it with this horse but I didn’t say anything to Kayne cause I didn’t want to jinx it. That was special getting it with his horse.
“When I started racing and I was racing at Raceway Park, I was 20 years old. I used to say to myself, if I could win a 1,000 races in my career that would be awesome. And then when I got to a part in my career where I was like, you know what I got a shot at winning 10,000, I was like that would be awesome if I could win 10,000 and retire around there. But now, hopefully I’ll stay healthy and hopefully can win 15.”
Skywalker Sea used her record-setting performance to capture a $16,500 conditioned event for female pacers by 1-1/2 lengths for driver Austin Hanners and trainer Todd Luther. Skywalker Sea sat second behind favorite Beautiful Seaside through fractions of :26, :53.1 and 1:20 before overtaking the pacesetter in the stretch with a :27.2 last quarter.
The time of 1:47.3 erased the previous record of 1:48 set by Somwherovrarainbow in 2014 at Pocono Downs and was one-fifth of a second off Sylvia Hanover’s all-age mark for a female pacer on a five-eighths-mile oval established last year at Plainridge Park.
Skywalker Sea, a daughter of Downbytheseaside-Pet Walker, is owned by Greg Luther Racing. She has won eight of 34 career races, hit the board an additional 11 times, and earned $406,502. She finished third in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old filly pacers.
Elsewhere on the card, Oh Look Magic won the $27,000 Open Trot in 1:53.1 for driver Chris Page and trainer Ron Burke. It was the 10th consecutive victory for the 6-year-old son of Lookslikeachpndale-Miami Magic, who has won 11 of 13 (with two seconds) this season.
Oh Look Magic is owned by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. He has won 36 of 97 career starts and earned $798,496.
The evening started off with No Nap Nash setting a track record for older trotting horses in the second race. The 1:51.2 mile bested Kings County’s 1:51.4 record set in 2022. Tyler Smith drove No Nap Nash for trainer Miles Wollam and owners Bob Troyer and Martin Wollam. It was the 16th lifetime victory for the 5-year-old son of Creatine, out of the My MVP mare Non Smoker.
– With files from Eldorado Scioto Downs