from Hollywood Dayton Raceway
Dayton, OH — Hollywood Dayton Raceway will open its fifth season of live racing on Monday afternoon (Sept. 10), with the first of 76 racing programs through Saturday (Dec. 29).
The modern five-eighths-mile track facility will follow a five days per week schedule throughout its season, with the lone exception of a respite during Little Brown Jug week in Delaware, Ohio, from Sept. 16-20.
Live racing matinees will be conducted every Monday and Tuesday afternoon beginning at 2:15 p.m. while evening cards will be presented on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with a 6:15 p.m. post time.
In addition, the Montgomery County Fair races will be staged at Hollywood Dayton for the first time on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 23), beginning at 1 p.m.
A special pre-meet qualifying races session is scheduled for Tuesday (Sept. 4), beginning at 1 p.m. Entries must be made earlier than usual, either online or called in when the Race Office opens for business this Friday (Aug. 31). The qualifiers box will close at 2 p.m. Friday (early due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday).
Highlight of the 2018 meet will be a pair of Grand Circuit races on Friday night (Sept. 28), when the best older pacers and trotters in North America are expected to compete in the Dayton Pacing Derby and the Dayton Trotting Derby, each with estimated purses of $150,000. A handful of the top drivers in the sport are attracted annually to these events as well.
The popular Hoosiers vs. Buckeyes Driving Championship will also return with a tentative date of Dec. 8.
New for 2018 will be a series of eight $10,000 Buckeye Stallion Series preview races for Ohio-sired 2- and 3-year-olds on Thursday (Sept. 27). Similar $7,500 tune-ups for likely Ohio Fair Finals participants will be divided between the Oct. 11-13 programs.
Another new feature this year will be bonus purse payments to wholly Ohio-owned horses who win races from the eight (10 percent) or nine hole (20 percent) starting positions. Additionally, any horse that finishes sixth in a rare ten-horse field at Hollywood Dayton will receive a three percent purse payment.
Known for its state-of-the-art grandstand and paddock, Hollywood Dayton anticipates that 2018 will produce another strong season of exciting and competitive live harness racing.