Oak Grove, KY  — Douglas Overhiser’s The Pantheist A made every call a winning one in the closing day feature at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel, scoring at odds-on in 1:50.4 in Monday’s (July 10) $30,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace.

Atlee Bender put the 7-year-old daughter of Bettor’s Delight in play from race’s outset, but the pair were engaged in an early duel by Rock It Out (driven by Devon Tharps). After traveling wide through the entire first turn, The Pantheist A cleared to the pegs after winning a :26 first-quarter duel. She managed to back the pace down through middle splits of :54 and 1:23 before staving off a first-over challenge from Uncut Gem (Randy Crisler) on the far turn.

The Pantheist A won the closing day feature at Oak Grove, capping meet-leading honors for driver Atlee Bender and trainer Erv Miller. Mark Herron photo. 

The Pantheist A dismissed Uncut Gem’s bid turning for home and edged clear off the corner while driven out. A :27.4 sprint home gave The Pantheist A 1-3/4 lengths of clearance over pocket rival Rock It Out at the winning post, while Uncut Gem finished third after flattening in the stretch.

Erv Miller trains The Pantheist A, a 13-time winner with $255,965 in career earnings. She paid $3.84 to win.

In the sub-featured $22,500 Open II Trot, Just For Trix brushed from third up the backstretch into a clear lead heading into the final turn before evading DG’s Caviar by a length to win in 1:54.1. Tyler Shehan drove the 4-year-old Trixton entire, who paid $12.80 to win, for trainer Mike Murphy and the partnership of James Wilson and Teri Jenkins.

Devon Tharps collected four driving wins on the 10-race card, teaming up with Tony Alagna trainees Chulada ($4.02, 1:57.1) and Caviart Aiden ($6.58, 1:54), as well as Sweet Lindy ($14.26, 1:53) and Stevies Got Skills ($16.58, 1:55.3).

Bender took top driving honors for the 30-day meet, winning 42 races and amassing $640,000 in purse earnings, while Miller topped the training standings with 39 wins throughout the stand.

Live harness racing returns to Oak Grove in 2024. For more information on simulcast wagering, gaming and entertainment, visit oakgrovegaming.com.