Columbus, OH — A full week into the 2023 Eldorado Scioto Downs racing season, the track is seeing continual gains and improvements, both in the entry box and at the betting windows.

“There have been 200-plus horses in the box each draw,” said Jason Roth, Scioto director of racing. “Through our Saturday (May 20) card, we’ve had 16 races each night since we opened.

“The track is getting tight, and we’re working out the kinks of opening back up after being closed for eight months. We appreciate our horsemen’s support and are looking to make this racing season better than ever.”

Chris Page has taken the early lead in the driver standings with 11 wins in 61 starts. Tony Hall is just behind him with 10 wins in 63 starts, with last year’s driver of the year, Brett Miller, sitting third. On the training side, 28-time leading trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. has 11 wins in 22 starts; Ron Burke sits second with six wins in 21 starts.

Handle numbers also continue to increase, both overall and on-track now that construction of Scioto’s new grandstand is complete. Through the first five days of racing, Scioto has seen an 18 percent increase over 2022 wagering numbers, with Wednesday’s total handle the largest yet of the live racing season.

A healthy throng of racegoers packs the clubhouse apron at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Conrad photo.

“We had a great crowd on Saturday with perfect weather, food trucks, live music and of course, great racing,” continued Roth. “Our handle is increasing, and we’ve had a couple large pools that we hope puts more eyes on our races and keeps the momentum going.”

Scioto has quite a few promotions to keep the on-track crowd engaged, including racing bingo every Thursday. A “Last Man Standing” handicapping contest is held on the first and third Saturdays of each month during the live racing season. In addition, anyone who places a $50 single-ticket live wager with a teller will receive a Racing Frenzy entry for the chance to win up to a $500 wager on Memorial Day (Monday, May 29).

Free program pages are available daily on the Scioto Downs website, both for qualifiers and live racing. Race replays are also available on this page of the website.

The 90-day Scioto Downs live racing season goes through Saturday, Sept. 16. The typical race schedule is Tuesdays-Saturdays with first post of 3:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 5:50 p.m. first post for Thursdays-Saturdays.

Follow @SciotoRacing on Twitter for all the details of the 2023 racing season at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

More information about the entire Scioto Downs racing season, including the race schedule, wagering menu, VIP room reservations and more, can be found at www.SciotoDowns.com.