16 races per night opening weekend at Scioto Downs

The draw for the first three harness racing cards of the 2024 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet have been completed, with 16 races scheduled for each night.

“We had 267 horses in the box for Thursday, so there was quite a bit of shuffling races around and re-writing them for Friday,” explained Jason Roth, Scioto’s Director of Racing. “We appreciate the horsemen’s support of filling the box and look forward to everyone racing this year.”

Opening night events include four divisions of the Jerry Knappenberger, three divisions of the Overcomer and a single division of the Full Count. The latter two events are for colt and filly trotters who are eligible to the Buckeye Stallion Series who did not race in the first leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes.

The Jerry Knappenberger, named after the long-time general manager of the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association, is for colt & gelding pacers who are non-winners of one pari-mutuel race. The races go off as numbers 4-7-13-15. Saddled with the nine hole in race 13 is the prohibitive 7/5 favorite Who Dey Nation (Downbytheseaside). Coming from the Jim Arledge Jr. barn, the gelding earned $38,680 in 10 starts as a 2-year-old and comes off a 1:52.3 effort at Miami Valley in the first leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes.

The Overcomer, for 3-year-old colt trotters, has three divisions going postward in races 1, 10 and 12. The Christi Noble trained Tom Swifty (Long Tom) is listed as the 8/5 favorite in the first division. The gelding won the first leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series last week at Miami Valley in 1:56.2.

The sole division of the Full Count, for 3-year-old filly trotters, is headlined by last year’s Ohio Sire Stakes Champion Sugar Instead (Volstead). The filly won her first start out last week in the Buckeye Stallion Series, timed in 1:55.4, for trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr., who will be looking for his 30^th consecutive leading trainer title at Scioto.

First race post time each night at Scioto Downs is 5:45 p.m. with a scheduled off-time of 5:52 p.m. An updated betting schedule includes $1.00 Pick-3 starting in races 2, 5, 8, and 11, along with covering the final three races of the night; Pick-4s starting in races 3, 7 and 13; the People’s Pick-5, with a 14% takeout, starting in races 1 and 10; and the Super High-5 in races 4, 9, 12 and the last race.

Friday’s card includes two divisions of the Falcon Almahurst, for Buckeye Stallion Series eligible filly pacers, a $27,000 nine-horse open trot and the $26,000 filly & mare open trot. The Nobleland Sam, for Buckeye Stallion Series eligible male pacers, will have two divisions going to post on Saturday, along with a nine-horse open pace. New at Scioto Downs for the 2024 season is the claiming starters allowance, for horses that have raced for that tag within the last two starts; horses must be dropped in for the tag at least once every three starts.