Marloe Hanover had been knocking on the door when the best mares in the Midwest gathered for their weekly $30,000 confrontation in Miami Valley’s Mares Open, finishing second or third in four straight starts. On Tuesday (March 1), the classy five-year-old daughter of Captaintreacherous burst through the door with a dominating 1:51.1 victory.
Driver Brett Miller asked the winner for quick pace as the wings of the Mike Woebkenberg starting gate swung open. After briefly allowing longshot Gone Girl to cross in front of his charge, Miller immediately retook the lead before the :27.1 quarter was reached. That pair remained one-two through middle fractions of :55.3 and 1:23.1 and stayed in that order through the finish line. Sherris Babe was next best in the 10-horse field.
Marloe Hanover paid $3.20 to win, while $2 exacta bettors who coupled her with Gone Girl got a hefty $96.20 return. Virgil Morgan Jr. trains Marloe Hanover for the Let It Ride Stable and J. L. Benson Stable. With 16 wins in her first 75 starts she now sports earnings of $627,182.
The Howard Beissinger Memorial Medley for mid-range trotters also kicked off in two divisions. The first leg races were five-eighths mile dashes, while the second leg will be contested at the conventional one mile and the $27,500 championship will go 1-1/4 miles (two laps) on March 15.
Double A Goldrush took full advantage of an inside draw in the first split and toured the five-eighths mile oval in 1:10.2 to win by six lengths over Thruway and Pilgrims Image. Ross Leonard trains the eight-year-old Elegant Man gelding for owners Michael and Laura Lee and Terry Leonard. Tony Hall drove the winner.
Shake It Mary and driver Trace Tetrick proved best in the second division, topping Milfords Z Tam and Namje in 1:10, missing the 1:09 world record by a second. The 2-1/4-length winner is conditioned by Sherif Cunmulaj for the Rushcreek Stables.
Racing resumes at Miami Valley on Wednesday (March 2) with the normal 4:05 p.m. (EST) first-race post time.
(Miami Valley Raceway)