The Best of Ohio returns to the former River Downs for the first time since the mid-1990s Oct. 11 when Belterra Park hosts five Ohio-bred stakes worth a total of $750,000.
River Downs, which last held a meet in the summer of 2012, was rebuilt from the ground up and renamed Belterra Park, which opened in May. The facility, owned by Pinnacle Entertainment, is a racetrack and video lottery terminal facility located just across the Ohio River from Northern Kentucky.
The Best of Ohio series has rotated between defunct Beulah Park and Thistledown (now ThistleDown Racino) since River Downs last hosted the event. The 2014 edition will feature five stakes, each worth $150,000.
The 1 1/4-mile Endurance, drew 16 entrants, though only 14 will run. The two lowest money winners will be scratched if there are no other scratches, according to Ohio Thoroughbred Fund rules.
Greenhill Racing and Sherri Greenhill's Silver Tongued, winner of the 1 1/4-mile Governor's Buckeye Cup at ThistledDown in his last start, figures to vie for favoritism in the Endurance. The 4-year-old Flatter gelding, trained by Jeff Greenhill, hasn't been worse than third in six starts at Belterra Park and has earned more than $171,000 in 20 starts.
Albin Jiminez, who rode Silver Tongued in the Governor's Buckeye Cup, has the call at 122 pounds
James Driver and H. Ywachetta's Sprint Stakes contender Rivers Run Deep, a 3-year-old Ready's Image colt, has won three of four starts in Ohio-bred stakes company and is 2-for-2 in Ohio in sprints. Trained by Cody Ohio and to be ridden by Jareth Loveberry at 119 pounds, River Run Deep more than held his own in open company at Oaklawn Park this past winter and spring, and appears the one to beat in a field of 11 at six furlongs.
Loveberry has been riding at Remington Park in Oklahoma but is also scheduled to ride a couple of 2-year-olds in Best of Ohio stakes Saturday afternoon
First post for the eight-race card is 1:30 p.m. EDT. The Endurance, race eight, is scheduled for 5:03 p.m.
Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center, Saturday, October 11, 2014, Race 4Entries: John W. Galbreath S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Justalittlesmoke (OH) Jeffrey Skerrett 117 Robert M. Gorham - 2 2Heat Transfer (OH) Jareth Loveberry 117 Larry Rivelli - 3 3Zedonia (OH) Gabriel Lagunes 117 Luis A. Jurado - 4 4Senorita Dominguez (OH) Eddie Zuniga 117 Gerardo Carrillo-Dominguez - 5 5Savings and Roan (OH) Albin Jimenez 117 Michael J. Maker - 6 6Ohio Silver (OH) Edgar Paucar 117 Eric R. Reed - 7 7Legend of Tutu (OH) Cesar Camaque 117 James S. Acquilano -
Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center, Saturday, October 11, 2014, Race 5Entries: Juvenile S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Dayton Demo (OH) Rodney A. Prescott 120 William D. Cowans - 2 2Unbridled Graduate (OH) Albin Jimenez 120 Steven M. Asmussen - 3 3Gliding Alone (OH) Gabriel Lagunes 120 Luis A. Jurado - 4 4True All Along (OH) Luis H. Colon 120 Timothy E. Hamm - 5 5Flip Daddy (OH) Perry Wayne Ouzts 120 William D. Cowans - 6 6Mound (OH) Megan Fadlovich 120 Ivan Vazquez - 7 7Stoney Lake (OH) Eddie Zuniga 120 Ivan Vazquez - 8 8Draw Nigh (OH) Huber Villa-Gomez 120 Jim C. Rankin - 9 9Triple Strike (OH) Jeffrey Skerrett 120 Robert M. Gorham - 10 10Sunshine's Son Bob (OH) Scott Spieth 120 Shane Meyers -
Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center, Saturday, October 11, 2014, Race 6Entries: Best of Ohio Sprint S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Quasi Folle (OH) Rodney A. Prescott 122 Penny Rone - 2 2Rookie Gladden (OH) Edgar Paucar 122 Eric R. Reed - 3 3Urban Renewal (OH) Jason P. Lumpkins 122 Mark Doering - 4 4Rivers Run Deep (OH) Jareth Loveberry 119 Cody Autrey - 5 5Diavoletto (OH) Perry Wayne Ouzts 122 Penny Rone - 6 6Hehaz Given (OH) Geovany Garcia 122 Bryan Metz - 7 7Obsessionsoptimist (OH) John McKee 119 Robert C. Cline - 8 8Ruxton (OH) Gabriel Lagunes 119 Jim C. Rankin - 9 9Candy Bites (OH) Noel Vigil 122 Larry Rivelli - 10 10License to Bling (OH) Luis H. Colon 122 Timothy E. Hamm - 11 11Risky Romance (OH) Yuri Yaranga 122 Kris Nemann -
Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center, Saturday, October 11, 2014, Race 7Entries: Best of Ohio Distaff S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 6 1Floral Sky (OH) Jason P. Lumpkins 122 Anthony F. Rini - 7 1ACaviar N Champagne (OH) Scott Spieth 122 Jeffrey A. Radosevich - 10 1XWilla Wando (OH) Jacob Radosevich 122 Jeffrey A. Radosevich - 1 2Agressive Elegance (OH) Albin Jimenez 122 Susan L. Anderson - 2 3Kelly's Pride (OH) Perry Wayne Ouzts 119 Sergio Baez - 3 4Crafty Blue Kat (OH) Walter De La Cruz 119 Sandra Marie Adkins - 4 5Uptown Gal (OH) Gabriel Lagunes 122 Jim C. Rankin - 5 6Aim (OH) Geovany Garcia 119 William D. Cowans - 8 7Sugar Marie (OH) Edgar Paucar 122 Benjamin Trask - 9 8Isadella (OH) John McKee 122 Ivan Vazquez - 11 9Pyrite Blues (OH) Ricardo Feliciano 122 Miguel A. Feliciano - 12 10Devil's Lil Bit (OH) Huber Villa-Gomez 122 Ryan D. Walsh - 13 11Derby Day Storm (OH) Rodney A. Prescott 122 Bryan Metz - 14 12Needmore Flattery (OH) Irwin J. Rosendo 119 Timothy E. Hamm -
Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center, Saturday, October 11, 2014, Race 8Entries: Best of Ohio Endurance S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Shakeyogroovething (OH) Perry Wayne Ouzts 122 Jeffrey L. Greenhill - 2 2Doctoriat (OH) Walter De La Cruz 119 Sandra Marie Adkins - 3 3Bold Captain (OH) Ricardo Feliciano 122 Miguel A. Feliciano - 4 4Jac's Fact (OH) Edgar Paucar 119 Ivan Vazquez - 5 5Stormin Larry (OH) Scott Spieth 122 Shane Meyers - 6 6Farmer Steve (OH) Geovany Garcia 119 Laurie Halmi - 7 7Master Rocket (OH) Gabriel Lagunes 122 Kris Nemann - 8 8Fuzzy Dee Jay (OH) Rodney A. Prescott 122 William D. Cowans - 9 9Silver Tongued (OH) Albin Jimenez 122 Jeffrey L. Greenhill - 10 10Plain Ol' Willard (OH) Noel Vigil 122 Anthony Lowry - 11 11Uncle Virgil (OH) Huber Villa-Gomez 122 Anthony Lowry - 12 12Wild Bling (OH) Jeffrey Skerrett 122 Jeffrey A. Radosevich - 13 13John Galt (OH) Yuri Yaranga 122 Jeff Engler - 14 14Dubacious (OH) Jacob Radosevich 119 Thomas M. Amoss - 99 Geppetto (OH) Megan Fadlovich 119 Ivan Vazquez - 99 Putalilenglishonit (OH) Irwin J. Rosendo 122 William D. Cowans -
