Columbus, OH — Eldorado Scioto Downs had another record-breaking night on Thursday (June 4). Capitalizing on being one of a few tracks racing in North America, handle eclipsed the previous record of $1.6-million, set on May 28, during race 11. By the time the 15-race card finished, $2.09-million was wagered on the evening.

“Not only do we want our horsemen to race, but we wanted to capitalize on being the only harness track in the United States racing Thursday night,” said Joe Morris, the Senior Vice President of Racing for Eldorado Resorts. “I called Jason Roth on Sunday afternoon to see if we could card 15 races for the evening. He added a couple of races to the condition sheet and the horsemen answered by dropping 279 horses in the box.”

Driver Tyler Smith had four wins on the evening, bumping him up to fourth in the driver standings through the first 10 race days of the Scioto meet. The first win of the evening for Smith was with Can B Perfect, a 3-year-old gelding by Big Bad John who won the Ohio State Fair at two as well as a leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes on his way to over $75,000 in earnings. Trained by Tim Lane for breeder and co-owner James Stambaugh, Can B Perfect won by a neck in 1:52.2.

Smith also won with a pair of 3-year-old daughters of Pet Rock – Real Rockin Ravi for owner Stephen Sexton and trainer Bret Schwartz in 1:55 and Penpaperpaige, for owner Shirley Le Vin and trainer Jeff Smith in 1:54. He also won with the 4-year-old trotting gelding Fanatic for trainer Todd Luther and owner Black Magic Racing in 1:54.4.

Defending leading driver Chris Page sits atop the leader board with 21 wins so far, just two ahead of Jeremy Smith. The 36-year-old Mt. Vernon, Ohio native had 435 wins in 2019 but so far in 2020 already has amassed over ¼ of those wins.

Not seen much in racing except for the Au Revoir races in December, there was a 41-year-old trifecta in the evening’s 13th race for $6,000 claimers. The 13-year-old Cambassador (Jeremy Smith) won his 48th career start by a nose over the 14-year-old Midnight Gambol (Aaron Merriman) with another 14-year-old, Pence Hanover (Tyler Smith), getting up for third. Cambassador, by Cam’s Card Shark, is owned and trained by Parker Smith.

Racing continues Friday (June 5) with 14 races on the card, including a Super High-Five $12,872 carryover for the 9th race. The card showcases the return of Guardian Angel AS who will make his first start of the 2020 season for
trainer Anette Lorentzon. The 6-year-old stallion by Archangel earned over $798,000 in 16 starts last year by winning the Maple Leaf Trot, Spirit of Massachusetts, Cleveland Classic and Maxi Lee Invitational, while also finishing fourth in the $1-million International
Trot at Yonkers. Elliott Deaton will be at the lines, starting from post eight in a 10 horse field, facing off against Majestic Player A (Brett Miller) who has already earned $62,750 in six starts this year.

Racing will then continue Sunday (June 7). The typical Saturday evening card was moved to Sunday to capitalize on less competition as more tracks open across North America. There will be a $15,000 guarantee on Sunday’s Pick 5, starting in race 5 with a low 14% takeout.

Free program pages on the guaranteed wager are available at handicapping.ustrotting.com thanks to the partnership with the USTA Strategic Wagering Program. Full card programs are available on the Scioto Downs website. First post for both Friday and Sunday is at 6:30 p.m.