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Dayton, Ohio – Driver Tony Hall may not have had the best start to his day – having found a flat tire on his way to the racetrack, but it ended on the biggest milestone of his harness racing career.
Despite a late arrival, rain, and downgraded track conditions, Hall found his way to the winner’s circle for his 7,000th time on Friday (Dec. 9) at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway.
Hall found himself guiding the 4-5 favorite Ainthesamewithoutu (Sweet Lou) in the featured $24,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Leaving from post five, the 3-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou left the gate confidently. After leading the field to a :27.2 opening quarter, Ainthesamewithoutu was overtaken by 4-1 Dashintothebeach N. Ainthesamewithoutu sat patiently in the pocket as the half came in :55.1.
Passing the three-quarters pole in 1:22.4, Ainthesamewithoutu popped the pocket and shifted into gear. With little urgency from Hall, the filly tripped the wire in a new lifetime mark of 1:51.1.
Dashintothebeach N (Jeremy Smith) held on for second while Alexa Skye (Chris Page) finished third.
AINTHESAMEWITHOUTU REPLAY
The victory was the fifth of the season for Ainthesamewithoutu. Trained by Anette Lorentzon, the filly has banked upwards of $80,000 in 2022. Ainthesamewithoutu was bred and is owned by her conditioner.
Hall began his career in 1997 at Lebanon Raceway. After only five months of driving, Hall captured his first win aboard He’s A Devil at the Warren County Fair for a purse of $600. With 50 starts in his initial season, he banked $5,967. Hall had his first million-dollar year in 2004 and hasn’t slowed down since. Today, the 44-year-old driver has earned nearly $5.4 million in 2022. Hall ends the evening having driven in 44,977 races and earning a total of $64,839,738.
Live racing will resume Saturday (Dec. 10) at Dayton Raceway with first post at 4:00PM. Free programs are always available online.
For more information on the facility and live racing season, visit here.
For complete race results, click here.
by Ashley Dailey, for the OHHA
