$30,000 Open won in gate-to-wire fashion

LEBANON, OH – Harness racing driver Trevor Smith guided Rose Run Vision to a mild 1:52.3 upset in the $30,000 Mares Open Pace at Miami Valley on Tuesday (Jan. 18). The gate-to-wire effort was good enough to hold fellow Indiana stalwarts Somebodyslilly (Brandon Bates) and Sandy Sue (Trace Tetrick) at bay.

It was the 20th career win for the five-year-old daughter of Time To Roll, who hails from the Don Eash Stable.

A :27.1 opening quarter was enough for Rose Run Vision to seat Seventimesacharm (John DeLong), who ultimately finished fourth, and heavily favored Somebodyslilly. Following middle fractions of :57 and 1:24, Smith was able to pull away from the field in the lane.

Somebodyslilly got up for second and Sandy Sue closed best of all from well back in the field to garner the show dough. The winner, who eclipsed the $200,000 earnings plateau with this success, paid $11.40 to her backers.

The Tuesday program also included a pair of second leg Claim To Fame races for $12,500 distaff pacers (who were granted a 30% claiming price premium if they started in Leg 1).

Atlantic Star (Tony Hall, 1:54.1) won for the second straight time in the series to earn probable favoritism in next Tuesday’s $22,500 championship. Bellini Seelster (Josh Sutton, 1:55.1) captured the other split in her first outing for trainer Mike Hitchcock, who plucked her via the claiming box out of the initial leg.

Joining those two winners in the final will be Odds On Algorithm, a winner in the first leg, and other top money winners in the series Always Be Lucy, Friskie Jolie, Shesrockingwichita, Dancing Lisa, JD’s Queen Lori, Shes A Fireball and Glenferrie Bronte N.

Clayton Pfeifer, weeks after being awarded his provisional driving license at the minimum age of 18, earned his first pari-mutuel victory in just his second start at Miami Valley Raceway on Tuesday.

The rookie driver guided JLS Yankee Rose to a 2:00.1 tally in a field of seven maiden pacing fillies. The three-year-old daughter of Yankee Cruiser paid $31.60 to win. “I felt a lot more comfortable today than my first start,” laughed the son of trainer Dustin Pfeifer.

“I was pretty nervous my first race at a commercial track!” I have won a couple county fair races, but this was far more exhilarating than my first victory two years ago at the Wellston Fair.”

needing Tommy John surgery on his shoulder following his sophomore season.

“I didn’t want to chance reinjuring my shoulder after that, so I started concentrating on the horses. I enjoy driving and hope I can make a living at it,” Clayton concluded.