As the gate wings folded, there was a mad dash forward, with five starters all looking to set the pace. When the dust settled, Joelsyy Hanover came out with the lead, although most of it was spent around turn three wide in a fast time of :26.3.
Crossing the wire for the first time, Rose Run Zane crossed first from fourth, carrying Better Is Nice and Little Rocket Man with him, while Im Skinnydipin N enjoyed a pocket trip. They passed the half in:56, a nice breather for Joelsyy Hanover, and continued with a double file down the back to three-quarters timed in 1:24.1.
Around the final turn, a horse race broke out as Better Is Nice turned three wide, bringing Little Rocket Man and a host of others with it. As Joelsyy Hanover turned for home he now had the entire field within three lengths as the horses shook loose from all directions and came in behind the leader.
At the wire, Joelsyy Hanover maintained a slim margin over four challengers, with Im Skinnydippin N sneaking up the rail and looking to put a nose in front in the final steps, but losing that advantage close to the wire. Joelsyy Hanover held on to win at 27-1, while Im Skinnydippin N finished second and Rose Run put Zane a big mile ahead of third. The top five finishers were all within three-quarters of a length.
For the Jessica Millner-trained Joelsyy Hanover, a regular in the Miami Valley open ranks, the victory was his 30th career tally and brought his lifetime earnings to just under half a million.
Doubles was the word of the day as trainers Virgil Morgan Jr. and Heather France each had one, while drivers David Miller, Jeremy Smith, Luke Hanners and Chris Page also had one.
Racing returns on Monday (February 9) with a post time of 4:00 PM (EST).
For full race results, click here: American trotting results
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