Columbus, OH – Eldorado Scioto Downs hosted four $100,000 Grade 3 events on Saturday (Aug. 23). Headlined by the sixth annual #SendItIn Invitational for open pacers, the 4-year-old Racing Rebel won over the full field of 10 in 1:49.1.
Paris’s Dragon (Dan Noble) took the early lead off the gate, but Chris Page had Racing Rebel out and moving just before the :27 opening quarter. Taking the field to the :55.2 half with favorite Little Rocket Man (Jeremy Smith) applying pressure, the field sprinted to the 1:22.1 three-quarters. Paris’s Dragon tipped to the outside from the pocket mid-way down the stretch but could only get within three-quarters of a length of the winner. Women Layer (Tim Tetrick) got up for third. Racing Rebel went off at 12-1 and paid $27 to win.
Racing Rebel, bred by Marjorie Polhamus, is a 4-year-old stallion by Racing Hill out of the Feelin Friskie mare Awakening. Trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Page and Polhamus, Racing Rebel now has $394,742 earned in 46 lifetime starts and 15 wins.
Cleopatra Invitational
Dan Noble took Shadows Dancers on a speed mission to win the Cleopatra Invitational for pacing mares in 1:48.1.
No Foolin April (Brett Miller) left sharply off the gate with Shadows Dancers taking the lead as the field hit the :26 opening quarter. Rolling to the :53.1 half, Shadows Dancers put some separation on the field going to the 1:20.1 third quarter. No Foolin April was a length and a half back in second, with Talk Curdy To Me (Aaron Merriman) finishing third.
Shadows Dancers, a 6-year-old mare by Always B Miki out of the Shadow Play mare Dancing Shadows K, was bred by Robert Key. Owned by Howard Taylor and Chris McGuire, Shadows Dancers has 23 wins in 91 starts and $340,699 in earnings. The victory was just one fifth of a second off her lifetime mark, and Scioto’s track record for aged pacing mares.
Moni Maker
Divine Thing won the Moni Maker Trot for 3-year-old fillies in 1:54.1. Getting away fourth as favorite Mocha Hill (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) lead the field to the :28.4 opening quarter, Brett Miller pulled Divine Thing second-over by the :57.1 half. After the 1:25.3 third quarter, Divine Thing tipped three-wide around Country Victory (Trevor Smith) to come up the center of the track for the win. Country Victory was second, with Rose Run Allison (Chris Page) third.
Divine Thing, by Greenshoe out of the Chapter Seven mare A Thing Goin On, is trained by Steve Carter for Jay Mossbarger, Brent Hopper and Kyle Gray. The $30,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Crawford Farms now has six victories in 22 lifetime starts and $339,887 in earnings.
Nadia Lobell
Odds On Chesapeake and Chris Page took the Nadia Lobell for 3-year-old pacing fillies in 1:50. Leaving from post two, Odds On Chesapeake led the field to the :27 opening quarter. After not finding a hole to settle in, Odds On Hialeah (Tim Tetrick) took over the lead through the :55.1 half. Dan Noble pulled Sammy Jo Hanover first-up midway down the backstretch as the field headed to the 1:22.2 third quarter. At the wire, Odds On Chesapeake was a neck the best over Sammy Jo Hanover. Fansville (Joe Bongiorno) came up the inside to finish third.
Odds On Chesapeake, by Downbytheseaside out of the Sweet Lou mare Macaroon, was bred by Odds On Nourrir and is owned by Odds On Racing and Operation Horsepower. The Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee now has $392,700 earned in 19 lifetime starts with 11 wins. The win equaled Odds On Chesapeake’s record and was just a fifth of a second off the track record for her division.
The 90-day 2025 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet runs through Saturday, Sept. 13. More information about racing at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.