The curtain fell Monday afternoon on the 2021 Miami Valley Raceway season. Leading driver Dan Noble and leading trainer Ron Burke were congratulated in the winner’s circle immediately after the pair combined to win a $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes race with Heart Of Chewbacca.
Noble won 160 races during the 86-day meet to top Brett Miller, Trace Tetrick, Tyler Smith and Chris Page in the standings. All five won over 120 races, and all five racked up purse earnings over $1.2 million. Burke recorded 54 wins to edge Tyler George, Virgil Morgan, Jr. and Christi Noble. All four managed stables that earned over $400,000 during the meet.
Driver Matt Kakaley, a “youthful veteran” of the sport at age 33, recorded the 5,000th victory of his still-young career when he got Traffic Jam home first in the fourth race on the Sunday (May 2) card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Kakaley let the Artiscape mare work her way to the lead at the quarter, rated the pace to the half, then kept her ahead of her pursuers for her second win of the year. Matt was in the bike for her first seasonal victory as well, on March 14.
In addition to the 5,000 victories, Kakaley-driven horses have won over $81 million. His best year for victories came in 2011 when he was first 441 times, including 289 of them at Pocono to be the last driver not named “George” to top The Downs in that category; Matt guided the winners of over $9 million in 2017, including Kentucky Futurity winner Snowstorm Hanover and three $100,000 wins with All Bets Off.
Southwind Gendry solidified his spot as one of the tops in his division Saturday (May 1) at The Meadows when he blazed a Pennsylvania Sires Stake (PASS) split in 1:49.4. Literl Lad Hanover captured the other division in the $153,856 event for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings, known as the Bye Bye Byrd, giving trainer Ron Burke a stake sweep.
Purchased as a yearling for a relatively modest $30,000, Southwind Gendry exceeded expectations by winning the PASS Championship, the Matron and divisions of the Bluegrass and International Stallion stakes in progress to banking $583,069 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Phillip Collura, Knox Services and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby.
A total of 89 sophomore Ohio-sired colts went postward Friday in ten divisions of Buckeye Stallion Series action at Miami Valley Raceway. There were seven divisions for pacers and three for trotters, each carrying a purse of $17,500.
Kings Cruiser started things off with a 1:53.2 triumph in the first race of the day, which ended up being the quickest mile on the program. Tyler Smith was in the sulky for trainer Jeff Nisonger as the son of Yankee Cruiser returned a $4 win mutuel.
Casecon captured the second split in 1:53.3, the first of four wins for driver Brett Miller in Buckeye Super Stakes action. Virgil Morgan, Jr. conditions the son of Pet Rock who paid $13.80 to win.
The 2021 stakes season at The Meadows kicks off with a bang Saturday (May 1), when the track hosts a $153,856 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for sophomore pacing colts and geldings featuring Southwind Gendry and Summa Cum Laude, a pair of the glamour division’s prospective superstars as well as day-long activities to help fans celebrate the simulcast of the Kentucky Derby following the live card.
In addition to the sire stakes, the card offers a $100,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series event for three-year-old male pacers. The 13-race live program and the Derby Day festivities begin at the special post time of 11:25 a.m.
The PASS will see a pair of last year’s top freshmen, both from the Ron Burke stable, kick off their sophomore campaigns in the same division, which goes as race six. Southwind Gendry not only won the PASS championship, but he also scored in such other prestigious events as the Matron Stakes and splits of the Bluegrass and the International Stallion Series. The Alwa