Undefeated Upnaway Blue Chip one to beat in Paver Memorial

An exciting field of harness racing trotters takes center stage in the $35,000 Ray Paver Memorial at Miami Valley Raceway on Wednesday (April 10th).

On paper, the race looks like it could come down to a battle between two streaking four-year-olds, 2 to 1 morning line favorite is undefeated Upnaway Blue Chip (Chapter Seven) and Show Me A Million (Dover Dan). But there are other sharp trotters that can make some noise in the late closer series final.

Upnaway Blue Chip has been nothing short of dominant this year, winning all four of his starts by open lengths after racing only once in both 2022 and 2023. He changed hands on January 4th this year and blossomed quickly under the care of Patrizio Ancora.

He fired off three straight wins at Miami Valley that included an easy front end four-length 1:55.1 score in a leg of this series on March 27th. Most recently, he jogged at Hoosier Park, winning by 11 1/2 lengths after starting from the second-tier post 10. Miami Valley track announcer Barry Vicroy opined that Upnaway Blue Chip is the one to beat. “You can’t beat his current form,” he said. Trace Tetrick, who drove the gelding to all four wins this year, again takes the lines and Upnaway Blue Chip starts from post three.

One rival that might be able to beat that form is Susan Miller trainee Show Me A Million who won two straight legs of this series, showing versatility with one closing win and one front end victory.

On March 27th, he followed good cover and pounced from second-over to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:56.0, He followed that up with a 1:57.0 win where he led most of the way and took a facile 3 1/2-length win. Sam Widger, who drove him that day, gets the return drive from post five.

Collector S (Face Time Bourbon) is another interesting contender that rallied for 2nd behind Show Me A Million after breaking stride at the start last week. The four-year-old was acquired by The Stable last fall and he has compiled a 2-2-3 record in 12 starts for the fractional ownership group that includes two wins at Mohawk Park.

“We brought him home from Harrisburg,” The Stable’s proprietor Anthony Macdonald said. “He has shown a lot of talent but has been a bit fractious. We thought he would be a nice addition for us, and he has been. A smooth trip likely gets him a big chunk.”  Collector S starts from post six and he is quoted at 8 to1 in the morning line.

Chris Beaver trainee Accelerate (Walner), starting from post two at 6 to 1 in the morning line, will also have a say. The four-year-old gelding came into this series off a qualifier on March 27th and finished second as a 22 to 1 longshot to Show Me A Million. He followed that up with a closing 1:57.3 score last week, and he will likely be passing rivals again in the final quarter. Tyler Smith, who drove Accelerate in both of those starts, again drives.

Tymal Tiggs (Muscle Mass) is an interesting longshot. Making only his third start of the year last week, he flew late to get second, beaten only 1/2-length. Tymal Tiggs missed all of 2023, but he had a productive three-year-old campaign racing in Ontario that included a 2nd-place finish in a $101,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event. At 20 to 1 in the morning line, he could be a giant killer if the main protagonists hook up in mid-race battle. He is sent out by Roy Murphy Jr.

Vicroy explained the importance of keeping the memory of local accomplished horsemen like Paver Sr. alive. “Paver, Coven, Tharps, Hiteman, are all names of current or past series,” he said. “I learned from every one of them and they are most of the top horsemen to come out of Lebanon, where it all started.”

Here is the field for the Paver Sr. Memorial, scheduled to go at 6:34 p.m. as race 8

1. Frantastic L – Hank Le Van – 12/1

2. Accelerate – Tyler Smith – 6/1

3. Upnaway Blue Chip – Trace Tetrick – 2/1

4. Rumbleinthevalley – Jeremy Smith – 5/1

5. Show Me A Million – Sam Widger – 5/2

6. Collector S – Brett Miller – 8/1

7. Tymal Tiggs – Austin Hanners – 20/1

8. My Man Peter – Chris Page – 20/1

9. Send Rip – Hugh Beatty – 20/1

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Garnet Barnsdale, for Harnesslink