by Regina Mayhugh, for the OHHA

Grove City, OH — It was an exciting and crowded evening at Eldorado Scioto Downs Saturday (June 23) as 20 charities attended the races for the sixth annual Charity Night at the Races hosted by the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association.

Conrad photo

Charities cheer for their horses during their race on Saturday.

Ohio horsemen hosted these charities as they enjoyed a meal and an evening on the patio watching races. They also experienced harness racing up close through paddock tours and starting gate rides, allowing representatives to experience behind the scenes harness racing action.

The charities also shared information about their organizations with the crowd of fans through interviews in the winner’s circle by Wendy Ross, USTA Social Media Director, throughout the evening. Many charities also had an information table set up where fans came down to visit.

Prior to the event there was a random draw to match the horses in the sixth and eighth race to the participating charities:

Horse Number-Charity-Horse
Race 6
1-Canine Companions for Independence-JD’s Chancey Design
2-Columbus Zoo-Just Bettor
3-The American Red Cross-McWilliam
4-ALS Association, Central & Southern Ohio Chapter-Artistic Director
5-Haven House of Pickaway County, Inc.-Waterside Champ
6-Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Ohio-Rocknroll Reality
7-Make a Wish, Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana-Ashlee’s Four Star
8-JDRF Diabetes Foundation-Twin B Hollister
9-Alzheimer’s Association-Brooklynite
10-Mid-Ohio Foodbank-Onefinejimmerjohn

Race 8
1-Touching Little Lives, Inc.-Judge John
2-St. Patrick School-Shocking Image
3-Pickaway County Special Olympics-Mosee Terror
4-Ohio FFA Foundation-Gareth Nourrir
5-New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program-Cosmicpedia
6-St. Vincent dePaul Society-St.Denis/Holy Family/Immaculate Conception-Bottom Deals
7-Ohio 4-H Youth Development-Lyons Again
8-Arthritis Foundation, Central Ohio–Grantor Hanover
9-Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio-Uncle Hal
10-Parkinson Foundation Ohio-Strother

In race six, Waterside Champ (Camotion-Lasting Light) lead the race with Dan Noble in the sulky as they made their way to the winner’s circle in 1:52.2, earning $5,000 for Haven House of Pickaway County. Waterside Champ is trained by Virgil Morgan Jr. Haven House is in Circleville, Ohio and provides shelter and services for victims of domestic violence. They also provide shelter for homeless women and children within the community. Haven House touches the lives of approximately 600 households each year and their goal is to help these victims get into permanent housing where they can lead a productive and violence free life.

Not far behind Kayne Kauffman drove Just Bettor (Bettor’s Delight-Just Great), trained by Gregory Luther, into second place in 1:52.4 where the Columbus Zoo took home $2,500 in winnings. The Columbus Zoo welcomes over 2.3 million visitors, they support conservation projects in over 40 countries across the globe, create family memories and save wildlife. The Columbus Zoo also hosts a variety of community events to raise funds for conservation.

The third place winnings of $1,250 went to ALS Association, Central & Southern Ohio Chapter, when Artistic Director (Art Director-Demotta Bing) came in third in 1:53 with Jeremy Smith in the sulky. Artistic Director is trained by Chris Short. The ALS provides services to those who have been diagnosed with ALS — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a progressive, degenerative neuromuscular disease for which there is still no known cause or cure, making it a terminal disease once diagnosed. Their mission is to discover treatments and a cure for the disease. They also serve, advocate for and empower those whose lives are affected by ALS.

The second charity race, the eighth, saw the same winning driver/trainer combo in the winner’s circle as the sixth race when Dan Noble brought Lyons Again (Dragon Again-A Filly To Fear) home for the win for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. in 1:52.4 while earning $5,000 for Ohio 4-H Youth Development. The Ohio 4-H Youth Development Program empowers young people with lifetime skills and education. 4-H began in Clark County, Ohio and today the Ohio program continues to be one of the largest 4-H programs in existence, with over 156,000 youth participants.

The next big winner of the eighth race was the Arthritis Foundation of Central Ohio, earning $2,500 when Grantor Hanvover (Camluck-Gurthrie Hanover) and Tony Hall came in second place in 1:53 for trainer Kevin Johnson. The Arthritis Foundation serves more than 50 million Americans and is the largest volunteer health agency in the nation. They address all forms of arthritis in both adults and children. They fund research to find a cure, provide educational materials and resources for those affected. They also work to influence health legislation. Their mission is to help people with arthritis to live their lives to the fullest by easing pain and illuminating a path towards wellness.

The final big winner of the evening was new to Charity Night, Pickaway County Special Olympics, another charity out of Circleville, Ohio. They earned $1,250 when Mosee Terror (Western Terror-Shimmer) and Josh Sutton came in third in 1:53.1 for trainer Gregory Luther. Pickaway County Special Olympics focuses all the strengths of their athletes and showcases what they can do. They serve nearly 100 active athletes and numerous volunteers within their organization. They rely on local donations and fundraisers to pay for uniforms, sports equipment, tournament fees, travel, lodging and other expenses that are involved in their activities.

“Our group thought the event was absolutely fantastic. We had a great time and really enjoyed the racing and being able to walk through the paddock. All the people at Scioto Downs were so helpful and our hosts were wonderful. Our group would love to be a part of this event for the foreseeable future,” shared Jeremy Joyce, Services and Support Administrator and Special Olympics Coordinator.

Ken Terpenning enjoyed the opportunity to be a host for the evening.

“It is so awesome to be able to be a part of something so wonderful. To see all those smiling faces and knowing the good coming out of it (from our horse community) was reward enough for me,” shared Terpenning.

While these six charities took home the larger winnings, the charities who did not make the top three also took home $1,000 each. A total of $31,500 was donated among 20 charities throughout Ohio.

Racing fans enjoy the evening

Many of the racing fans that arrived were longtime devotees such as Richard who had been coming to the Columbus area’s harness racing mecca ever since founder Charlie Hill had opened it in 1959.

“I used to come here with my dad,” he remembered, “from Xenia. And it became a weekly pilgrimage. We got to know all the ushers by name and they’d always save us a good seat in the grandstand. The place would be packed. Then after I got married my wife and I would travel up to watch the races — not quite as often what with work and the kids — but we’d get here when we could. We’d sit right there,” he added as he pointed up to a row of seats in the grandstand.

“I’d be doing my handicapping while my wife would knit and nod in agreement if she liked my pick.”

He stopped and eyed the cavernous structure now blocked off due to age-related safety issues.

“This place is historic,” he said mistily, “they should do the repairs and save it.”

We met first-time patrons that hailed from Cleveland who “have always enjoyed the racing at Northfield and wanted to see what Scioto was like. It’s very, very nice.”

One father from Indiana stood watching the races and said that he had promised his kids every time that they went through Columbus on 70 East to visit the grandparents in West Virginia that he was going to take them to the races at Scioto.

He had been a regular back in the days before they “were even thought of” and “tonight I got all three of my kids with me,” he said proudly.

A native Buckeye proudly introduced his wife and sister-in-law who he had brought to Ohio from “back east. Salem, New Hampshire,” he said. “Ever hear of it? Rockingham Park?”

There were many new faces in the crowd coming to the races for the very first time. And Saturday night was a fine example of how enjoyable a night at the races can be. It was an excellent model of how harness racing is so very connected to the community. A great night for a great cause and a great job done by all.

The OHHA would like to thank everyone who helped make Charity Night at the Races a success. Thank you to the charities for participating, to the horsemen who hosted the groups, Chris Page who donated whips to the children in attendance, Bob Mount for the starting gate rides, Kim Schneider and Jayme Laing for providing paddock tours, Jessica Schroeder and Aimee Hock for coordinating starting gate rides, Brad Conrad for photographing and Eldorado Scioto Downs Racino staff and management team for hosting the event and everything they did to allow OHHA to host such a great evening at the races.

To learn more about Charity Night at the Races and all the charities in attendance, be sure to read the July issue of The Buckeye Harness Horsemen.

— Thom Pye also contributed to this report