Miami Valley to host best mares in North America on closing weekend
May 2, 2018,from Miami Valley Raceway
Lebanon, OH — Eighteen of the finest older trotting and pacing mares in North America will descend on Miami Valley Raceway Monday afternoon (May 7). They will compete in a pair of Grand Circuit races that will highlight Closing Day of the highly successful 87 program 2018 meet, during which more than $14 million was distributed in purses.
The contestants in the $81,600 Miami Valley Distaff Trot and the $102,200 Sam ‘Chip’ Noble Memorial Pace have combined for 424 wins in their careers, good for $12,288,695 in earnings. Those figures average out to 23.55 victories and $682,705 in earnings per entrant.
Charmed Life (Chris Page-listed driver) has been given the ever-so-slight 5-2 morning line nod in the extremely competitive mare trot. Others who could just as easily become the “off-time” favorite are Barn Girl (3-1, Aaron Merriman), Churita (7-2, Trace Tetrick) or Rose Run Sydney (9-2, Jason Brewer). The remainder of the field consists of Ice Attraction (6-1, Merriman), Caprice Hill (8-1, Yannick Gingras), Barn Bella (10-1 due to the outside post, Jeff Gregory), Sandys Victory (15-1, Kyle Ater) and Consolidator (20-1, TBA).
Shartin N (Tim Tetrick), who captured the $373,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker final in her last outing, will open as the 2-1 morning line choice in the Noble Memorial pace. Blue Moon Stride (3-1, Corey Callahan) and Apple Bottom Jeans (4-1, Victor Kirby) also enter the race off impressive winning efforts in their last races at The Meadowlands. The remaining hopefuls are L A Delight (6-1, Yannick Gingras), Lakeisha Hall (8-1, Chris Page), Ontario Sires sophomore champion The Joy Luck Club (10-1 from an outside post, Doug McNair), Medusa (12-1, Tony Hall), Juslikeaqueen (15-1, Jeremy Smith) and Safe From Terror (20-1, Aaron Merriman).
With just four cards left in the Miami Valley season, the excitement over Closing Weekend is building. The Friday night and Sunday afternoon programs will feature a dozen divisions of first leg Ohio Sires Stakes action for 3-year-olds. The Saturday and Monday slates include 18 $15,000 divisions of first round Buckeye Stallion Series competition.
The Friday night post time is 6:05 p.m., Saturday is 7:05 p.m. (an hour later in deference to the Kentucky Derby), while both Sunday and Monday matinees will commence at 2:05 p.m.
- Barn Bella heads ‘out of state’ for Miami Valley Distaff (Friday, May 04, 2018)
For the first time in her life, Barn Bella will experience the thrill of crossing a state border. And her connections hope she continues to give them thrills while mixing with “open” company. After tearing through the competition for two years on her home turf of New York, the 4-year-old mare will compete in her first race outside the Empire State when she makes her season’s debut Monday (May 7) in the $81,600 Miami Valley Distaff for female trotters ages 4 and up.