by Gregg Keidel for Miami Valley Racetrack

Lebanon, OH –– Miami Valley Raceway has an exciting weekendin store. It includes a $10,000 guaranteedtotal pool in the 50 cent Lucky Pick-5 wager on Friday, eliminations for theJames K. Hackett Memorial series for top Ohio-sired 3-year-olds on Friday,April 14 (fillies) and Saturday, April 15 (colts), outstanding $22,000 Opensfor older mares on Friday and older horses and geldings on Saturday, and aspecial Easter Sunday matinee.

Friday’s 50 cent Lucky Pick-5 kicks off in the tenth racewith an estimated 9 p.m. post time. Thenightly wager has gone unsolved over the last three programs, resulting in a $3,986.76carryover and the resultant guaranteed $10,000 total pool in conjunction withthe USTA Stategic Wagering platform. Friday’s Pick-5 sequence starts and ends with divisions of a $9,500condition race for male pacers who are non-winners of $4,000 in their last fourstarts. Sandwiched between are a $10,000claiming pace, the $22,000 Mares Open and an $11,500 condition race fordistaffers under $6,000 in their last four tries.

The fourth, sixth andeighth races on Friday are a trio of $12,500 James K. Hackett Memorial fillydivisions with most of Ohio’s best sophomores vying for top three finishes inorder to advance to the $40,000 championship race a week later. Type A Grey, who won 5 of 7 and earned$102,772 in her freshman campaign, is the likely favorite in the firstelimination for driver Chris Page. ZoeEllasen (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), who earned $110,008 in her first season, and ByeBye Felicia (Chris Page), who banked $99,089, have both drawn inside in thesecond split. Three-time 2016 winnerMaavelous (Josh Sutton), who earned $55,208 as a rookie, will likely go to postas the favorite of the third division followed by Glorious Intent.

The ‘boys’ elimination divisions of the Hackett will bepresented on Saturday in races four, seven and nine. Barnabas, winner of $83,000 Ronnie Wrenn Jr.)and $70,000 winner Drunk On Your Love (Dan Noble) will square off in the firstsplit with seven other rivals. All nineof the horses took fast records as 2-year-olds. Pace Car’s $70,406 in freshman earnings top the ten combatants in thesecond heat, which on paper looks like a most competitive field. Ron’s Pro (Chris Page) earned $80,000 as a2-year-old and likely will get the betting nod in the final elimination. All ten in the field took freshman speedbadges of 1:57 or faster, however, and nine of the ten earned over $30,000 intheir first season on the track.

Saturday’s $22,000 Open Handicap features a full field often who have each earned between $110,000 and $504,000 in their careers. Collectively, they have 185 lifetime wins andnine of the ten featured horses have paced in 1:51 or faster within their twomost recent starts.

Post time for the Friday and Saturday night programs is 6:05p.m. The Easter Sunday matinee willbegin at 2:05 p.m.