Oakwood Heymiki Ir (Brett Miller) used a three-wide move around the final turn to take a narrow victory in the $28,000 Open Pace.
There was a crazy battle at the start, but Little Rocket Man (David Miller) was on top during the opening quarter in:27.
The beautiful Big Guy (Chris Page), caught on the outside, was moved to the front before the half-mile station in :56.2. Joelsyy Hanover (Sam Widger) was the first to come out and provided live coverage for the eventual winner. The field passed three-quarters in 1:24.2.
As his covering began to tire, Oakwood Heymiki Ir was sent three wide on the final turn to get into position.
The top trio – the beautiful Big Guy on the inside, Little Rocket Man on the outside and Oakwood Heymiki Ir in the middle – paced the court as a team.
The Irish-bred rose in the final steps to take the nose victory over Little Rocket Man and Beautiful Big Guy in 1:52.2.
The five year old son of Always B Miki has now won five races in a row for Royal Wire Products and trainer Robert Cleary.
In the $24,000 Open II Pace, Naturally Gifted A (David Miller) went from gate to wire and scored a 1:52 win.
Racing Rebel (Chris Page) tried to protect his rail position at the start, but Naturally Gifted A was a few steps better and led at the quarter and half in :27.2 and :57 respectively.
Around Midnight (Trace Tetrick) and Alta Revelry N (Trevor Smith) were the first to challenge as the field passed three-quarters in 1:24.4.
Around midnight it faded into the final corner, allowing Racing Rebel to pull the pocket instead of waiting for the passing track.
Naturally Gifted A got the job at Racing Rebel and crossed the line 1 ¾ lengths ahead of his challenger.
Gen Quality (Luke Hanners) photographed Downbythedanceclub (Brett Miller) for third place.
The Australian is owned by the Every Day Stable and is conditioned by Ken Rucker.
Veteran driver David Miller recorded six wins during the 14-race card. Trainer Ken Rucker recorded four victories.
Before the races, Dayton Fire Department representatives collected toys and donations raised by the Dayton Raceway racing community.
In between races, Santa defeated the Grinch in a special match race. The results of that event will certainly make many area children happy.
Racing resumes on Monday (December 22) with a post time of 4pm. There are only six race cards left in Dayton Raceway’s 2025 season.
For full race results, click here: American trotting results.
By means of Jay Wolf for Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway
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