Record set in $260,000 Charlie Hill Memorial

Columbus, OH – Grand Circuit harness racing action took center stage at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday (Sep. 7) with the $260,000 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot and $250,000 Jim Ewart Memorial Pace.

Winner’s Bet (Walner-Side Bet Hanover) set a new track record for 4-year-old stallions winning the Charlie Hill in 1:50.4.

Dunn got Winner’s Bet away seventh from post five, while Chapercraz (Yannick Gingras) took the early lead, hitting the quarter in :26.4. Lexus Kody (Chris Page) was sitting in the pocket, while Chapercraz slowed the pace down to hit the half in :56.3.

Winner’s Bet came first over, with Chapercraz still comfortably in front by the 1:23.3 third quarter. Coming down the stretch, Winner’s Bet got by the leader to win by a length over Lexus Kody who came up the passing lane. Chapercraz was third.

“In the Maple Leaf, he just got a little bit too anxious leaving behind the gate, he was trying to leave a hundred out of there and he just rolled over onto the gallop,” said trainer Nancy Takter. “But he trained absolutely super this past week in Lexington and I thought he was going to put in a really good performance tonight.

“He races really well closer to the front in the past this year, but it was a huge effort on his part off of a slow half and then to trip the timer in a track record is really special.”

WINNER’S BET REPLAY

Winner’s Bet is owned by Lindy Farms of Connecticut and Robert Rudolph. Bred by S R F Stable, Winner’s Bet now has 11 wins in 28 lifetime starts and $900,471 in earnings, but will look to add to those earnings with some big stake engagements yet this fall.

“He’ll probably go to Hoosier next for the Caesars and then we’ll have to decide if we’ll race in the Allerage and then the Breeders Crown,” said Takter.

Little Rocket Man (Rockin Image-Gt Miss Royal) won his third start in a row after a short break in July to win the Jim Ewart Memorial Pace in 1:48.

David Miller got Little Rocket Man away fourth from post five while I Did It Myway (Matt Kakaley) took the lead and hit the quarter in :26.3. Miller pulled first up going into the second turn and was sitting fourth as the field hit the :53.3 half. Charlie May (Dan Noble) sat in the pocket with Buzzsaw Russ (Gingras) at his helmet.

As the field hit the three-quarter pole in 1:20.3, Little Rocket Man was applying pressure to I Did It Myway and coming off the turn went by to win by two lengths. Buzzsaw Russ came up the passing lane to finish second and in a six-horse photo for third, Charlie May came out victorious for third.

“He (Ken Rucker) told me a little about him, but I’ve watched the horse race for four years, I’ve raced with him,” said Miller. “He looked pretty simple to get along with and he was; he was tremendous. I told Kenny this is a cool, cool horse.

“They were going fractions like that, and he felt real comfortable, he was kind of just cruising along there with them. I headed Matt there going into the last turn and I was still sitting, moving well. I felt pretty good then.”

LITTLE ROCKET MAN REPLAY

Little Rocket Man, an 8-year-old gelding by Rockin Image, is owned by Russell Beeman and Jack Freeman. The Ewart marked his 111th lifetime start, and he has finished on the board 88 times, with 64 victories and $1,462,299 in earnings.

The 2024 Scioto Downs meet runs through Saturday, Sept. 14. Post time for the Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday cards, is 5:45 p.m. Post time on Friday, Sept. 13 will be 6:45 p.m. to help accommodate horsemen attending the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale.

More information about racing at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From Eldorado Scioto Downs