Lebanon, OH – Joelsyy Hanover went wire to wire to upset in the $36,000 Open Handicap at Miami Valley on Sunday’s (Feb. 8) makeup card.
When the wings of the gate folded, a mad dash for the front took place with five leavers all wanting to set the pace. When the dust settled, Joelsyy Hanover came out with the lead, although most of it was spent three-wide around the turn in a quick :26.3.
As they passed the wire for the first time, Rose Run Zane pulled first-over from fourth, bringing with him Better Is Nice and Little Rocket Man while Im Skinnydipin N enjoyed a pocket trip. They passed the half in :56, a nice little breather for Joelsyy Hanover, and continued double-file up the backside to three-quarters timed in 1:24.1.
Around the final turn, a horse race broke out when Better Is Nice flipped three-wide, bringing with him Little Rocket Man and a host of others. When Joelsyy Hanover turned for home, he now had the entire field within three lengths as horses were shaking loose from every direction and coming after the leader.
Near the wire, Joelsyy Hanover continued to hold a slim margin over four challengers, with Im Skinnydippin N sneaking up the rail and appearing to put a nose in front in the final steps only to lose that advantage right at the wire. Joelsyy Hanover hung on for the win at 27-1, while Im Skinnydippin N finished second and Rose Run Zane went a big mile for third. The top five finishers were all within three-quarters of a length.
For the Jessica Millner trained Joelsyy Hanover, a regular player in the open ranks at Miami Valley, the win was his 30th career tally and pushed his lifetime earnings to just shy of half a million.
Doubles was the word of the day as trainers Virgil Morgan Jr. and Heather France each had one while drivers David Miller, Jeremy Smith, Luke Hanners and Chris Page had one as well.
Racing returns on Monday (Feb. 9) with a post time of 4 p.m. (EST).