Penn, Fantasy League take Miami Valley trots

LEBANON, OH. – Penn pinned his sixth defeat in eight 2016 tries on the best trotters at Miami Valley Raceway on Sunday afternoon (April 24), winning the $20,000 Open Trot to increase his seasonal earnings to $63,700.

Trainer Bobby Brower has been starting Penn every other week for the past two months in an effort to keep the 6-year-old Master Glide gelding fresh and the plan has worked to near perfection.

Driver Josh Sutton hustled Penn off the gate, as has been his custom, reaching the quarter on top in :27. Lady's Dude (Chris Page), who set the all-age Miami Valley track record with a 1:52.1 score in last week's feature trot, also left alertly and dropped into the two-hole early.

Penn got a breather the second quarter but once the :56.2 half was reached Southwind Pepino (Sandy Beatty) came calling on the outside. Southwind Pepino was still lapped on to Penn as they sped past the 1:24.3 three-quarter pole and kept up all the way to the wire in 1:53.1. Boffin (Tyler Smith) found a seam late to edge past Lady's Dude for third.

Barkley Counts of Tennessee owns Penn, who has won 34 times in just 71 career starts.

The $15,000 championship leg of the R. J. Brown Memorial trotting series, for non-winners of two races or $15,000 lifetime at time of nomination, was also contested on Sunday. Heavily-favored Fantasy League (Kyle Ater) completed a three-week sweep with a 1:55.1 score, a tick better than his own divisional track record taken a week ago. Owner-trainer Mike Sowers' prize possession topped Chip Or Don (Tyler Smith) by open lengths with Simplyamonster AS (Chris Page) garnering the show dough.

Fantasy League's next start is expected to be in first leg Ohio Sires Stakes action at Miami Valley Raceway on Saturday, May 7.

The first Billings Series race of the season in the Midwest region as contested over Miami Valley Raceway’s five-eighths mile oval and to no one’s surprise the 9-10 betting favorite, Heza Rube, lived up to his expectations and cruised the an easy three-length triumph  with  Bob “The Lumberman” Troyer at the controls.

When the wings of the mobile starting gate folded a speed duel ensued between Celtic Merchant (Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford and Speed Hanover (“Slick Rick” Braun) as the two trotters raced as a team to the quarter in :27.4 and they were still battling as they headed to the half. But at that point Troyer moved Heza Rube off the pylons and up behind Speed Hanover as Celtic Merchant got first call as they passed the half in :57.3. 

Once the field headed up the backside Troyer moved three-deep to the lead which he got without any trouble and then played catch me if you can. And no one could as Heza Rube chugged home an easy winner in a time of 1:573 over Oldfield’s Celtic Merchant.

“I knew they were going at a good clip upfront and I figured they’d come back to me and I didn’t want to get pinned in so I moved up behind Speed Hanover as we were going to the half. And just as soon as we rounded the (clubhouse) turn I was out and going and my horse easily made the front end and we didn’t have a bit of trouble from there to the wire,” Troyer said by telephone after the race.  

 Third place went to 20-1 shot Unlimited Winner, driven by Northfield Park’s outrider Nadine “the Queen” Habke who was driving for the first time in the C.K.G Billings Amateur Series.

Heza Rube, a 6-year old altered son of Master Lavec, scored his second seasonal victory. He’s owned by Deborah Kvernmo and trained by Marty Wollem. For Troyer it was his 77^th career driving victory.

From the Miami Valley Media Department