Rhoades scores his 1,000th training victory

Northfield, OH – Following three victories on Sunday night, harness racing trainer Bill Rhoades only needed one victory on Tuesday (January 3) to get his 1,000th career win, and it came in the final race with Buckeye Boy (Big Bad John).

Following the race, Rhoades said, “My step-dad would’ve been super proud of me; I don’t even know how to feel right now, it’s on to the next thousand.”

Rhoades, who began his training career in 2004, celebrated his birthday on Monday (January 2). The biggest season for Rhoades was in 2022, where he earned shy of $1.5 million in earnings, winning 185 starts earning him a twelfth place finish in the national trainer standings and third in the standings at the Flying Turns.

On a track that had not been speed favoring most of the night, Buckeye Boy (Aaron Merriman) was sent to the lead opening up a 3-1/2 lengths margin at the quarter in a snappy :26.2. His closest pursuer, Vintage Grand (Keith Kash Jr.) was able to make up ground on the leader, but Merriman didn’t take his foot off the gas pedal hitting the half in :54.3.

The pair would move past three-quarters together in 1:24.3, when Kash Jr. moved Vintage Grand outside to take a shot at the leader but had nothing left in the tank with Buckeye Boy hitting the wire in 1:56.1, winning by 1-1/2 lengths.

BUCKEYE BOY REPLAY

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by Michael Carter, for MGM Northfield Park