Champions crowned in OSS Veterans Finals

Grove City, OH – Despite a rainy night, Ohio’s aged harness racing veterans shined at Eldorado Scioto Downs.  Smoking Jet, Slymar’s Dragon, Refined and Charlie May were crowned champions in the $85,000 Veteran Championships.

In the first of the four $85,000 championships, Smoking Jet (Triumphant Caviar) made it look it easy winning the title for aged horses and gelding trotters.  Chris Page took the 5-year-old gelding to the lead at the quarter pole and never looked back.

Smoking Jet, the even money favorite, covered the sloppy track in :27.1, :57.1, 1:25.3, tripping the wire in 1:54 winning by a length.

The win is the 14^th of the year for Smoking Jet, who has now earned $301,532 in his career.

Smoking Jet is trained by Ron Burke and owned by the Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Page.

SMOKING JET REPLAY

For Page, this Sires Stakes championship is unlike others he has won.  “I own a small piece of this horse and winning as an owner is a different feeling.”

Mission Accepted finished second with Shine All The Way third.

In the veteran championship for pacing mares, Slymar’s Dragon (Dragon Again) and Dan Noble grabbed the lead going to the three-quarter pole and pulled away to win by two-lengths in 1:52.

Real Rockin Ravi was second while Spee Dee Shark was third.

The five-year-old mare is trained by Andre Nared and owned by Lionel Watiker and Dr. Allie Stiegler who purchased the mare at the end of 2021.

The win is the biggest of Slymar’s Dragon’s career as well as the biggest in Nared’s young training career, “I’m on cloud nine.”

The win was the fifth of the year for Slymar’s Dragon, who has now earned $198,676 in her career.

SLYMAR’S DRAGON REPLAY

In the veteran championship for trotting mares, Refined (Uncle Peter) rallied down the stretch to win by a head in 1:52.4.

Refined with Mitchell Cushing driving trailed the leader A Fancy Face by two-lengths around the final turn but kicked it into another gear and reeled in the winner at the wire.

Twentyfour K Magic finished third.

Refined is owned by Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills and trained by Virgil Morgan Jr..  The six-year-old mare won for the eighth time this year in 19 starts and pushed her career earnings to $583,140.

Morgan says the mare is a gritty competitor. “She was a grinder when she was younger, but now she has matured.  She can win any way, on the front end or off the pace.”

REFINED REPLAY

In the final championship of the night, Charlie May (McArdle) and Brett Miller went to the lead at the half-mile mark and held on down the stretch holding off Gold Digger King to win the Veteran Championship for horse and gelding pacers.  Elver Hanover finished third.

Charlie May tripped the wire in 1:50.1 winning for the fifth time in 12 starts this year.  The four-year-old has now earned $1,434,735 in his career.

Owner Don Tiger said he was a little concerned with the sloppy track.  “Brett said Charlie was super and he had to let him roll.  He just felt that good, even though the front was soft, and horses were tiring.”

CHARLIE MAY REPLAY

The Ohio Sires Stakes championship for two- and three-year Ohio breds is scheduled for October 1 at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway.

For complete race results, click here.

by Frank Fraas, for the OHHA