Oak Grove, KY — Driver Tyler Miller landed a pocket trip with 4-5 favorite Little Expensive and popped with fervor around the last turn to clinch victory in the $30,000 Open Handicap Trot at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Monday (May 11).
Little Expensive pushed for the front alongside Dp Freedoms Chrome (driven by Marcus Miller) and raced between horses through the first turn with Woman Of Passion (Marvin Luna) fighting to protect position at the pylons. Miller eventually cleared Woman Of Passion after a :27 first quarter but soon relinquished control passing the stands to Dp Freedoms Chrome and tracked the leader intently after a :55.4 half. Once the leader began to waver passing three-quarters in 1:24.2, Miller eked out of the pocket spot and laid an attack to grab the front spinning for home. Little Expensive reached for the finish and nabbed a 1:53 win by three-quarter lengths over fast-closing Tom’s Muscle (Josert Fonseca) in second. Cecil Hanover (Devon Tharps) rallied from a second-over trip for third and Woman Of Passion took fourth.
A 6-year-old gelding by Muscle Hill-Seviyorum, Little Expensive won his second race from four starts this season and his 20th race from 66 starts in his career, earning $399,066 for owners Andy Miller Stable, Jean Goehlen and VIP Internet Stable. He paid $3.64 to win.
Live racing resumes at Oak Grove on Saturday (May 16) with an 11-race card headlined by the $500,000 Oak Grove Trotting Derby Final and $300,000 Oak Grove Trotting Oaks final. The $1.5-million day of racing will also feature, in conjunction with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering program, a $20,000 guarantee on the $1 Pick 4, which has a takeout of just 15 percent. First-race post time on Saturday at Oak Grove is 12:45 p.m. (CDT).
For more information, visit oakgrovegaming.com. And to book your VIP experience for Oak Grove Trotting Derby Day, visit oakgrovederby.com.