Dayton to host richest race day in Ohio history

DAYTON, OH. – Hollywood Dayton Raceway officials are readying for the Southwest Ohio track’s ninth year of live racing, which opens on Tuesday, September 27.  Highlight of the 70-program meet will surely be the first Saturday of the season, October 1, when Dayton will host the richest card of racing–$3.4 million in purses—in Ohio racing history, harness or thoroughbred.

Ohio Super Night is coming to Dayton for the first time ever with eight championship races, each worth $300,000, for the Buckeye State’s finest two and three year olds.  Ohio’s finest sophomore pacers and trotters competed in four preliminary legs of the Ohio Sires Stakes at Miami Valley Gaming, MGM Northfield Park and Eldorado Scioto Downs to gain points towards the lucrative finals.

Topping the standings are Gabbys C Note (Triumphant Caviar, filly trot), Longshot (Long Tom, colt trot), Sea Silk (Downbytheseaside, filly pace) and Bythemissal (Downbytheseaside, colt pace).  After four legs at Northfield and Scioto, the top Ohio bred freshmen on their respective lists are Rose Run Yolanda (Triumphant Caviar, filly trot), Jet Hill (What The Hill, colt trot), Fear Of Sports (Fear The Dragon, filly pace) and Racing Rampage (Racing Hill, colt pace).

Also featured will be a quartet of $250,000 Grand Circuit stakes events for the best older horses in North America. Bulldog Hanover (Shadow Play), the No. 1 ranked horse in North America and leading candidate for Horse of the Year, is expected to face a full field of the sport’s fastest older male pacers in the annual Dayton Pacing Derby.  The four-year-old superstar became the fastest harness horse in history earlier this year when he scorched The Meadowlands track in 1:45.4.

Test Of Faith (Art Major) will get a stern test in the Dayton Distaff Derby for the most elite pacing mares in the United States or Canada.  On the trotting side, Lovedbythemasses (Muscle Mass) is the top money earner to date from a long list of nominees to the Dayton Trotting Derby; while Bella Bellini (Bar Hopping) is the top earner from a shorter list of nominated trotting mares for the new Dayton Oaks.  In addition to the best horses, the Dayton Derbies also attract most of the best drivers in the world on an annual basis.

Post time for the Ohio Super Night and Dayton Derbies extravaganza is 6 p.m. on October 1.

The regular 2022 schedule for the Hollywood Dayton races will be Tuesday through Saturday, beginning at 4 p.m. daily.  The season runs from Tuesday, September 27 through Friday, December 30.

by Gregg Keidel, for Dayton Raceway