The main event for the live racing card will be the Open pace, going for $20,000. Leaving from post two, Man He Can Skoot, from the Virgil Morgan Jr.Stable, is the third favorite on the morning line, at 9-2. The 4-year-old gelding has already made more than $58,000 this year, racing mostlyat Harrah’s Philadelphia.

The other two favorites in the race are Star Recruit (3-1), who will leave from the rail for trainer Steve Carter, and the Ron Potter trainee Carol’s Comet (4-1), who will leave from post position nine.

Every racing night, race number nine will offer a Super High Five wager, and each one carded thus far has had 11 entries — with only one horse scratching from such a race. When an 11-horse field goes to the gate, Scioto pays purses to the top six finishers. While still a new bet locally, the Super High Five wager has been gaining momentum since first being offered just one week ago, on opening night.

On the first Saturday of every month Scioto will host the “Last Man Standing” handicapping contest. Participants chose a horse they think will finish in the top three in races two through nine. The winning contestant will receive $500 worth of wagers they can use to bet on one race during the remainder of the card.

Racing at Scioto is conducted every Wednesday through Saturday at 6:30 p.m., now through Saturday, Sept. 14. Special 1 p.m. cards will be conducted on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4, Aug. 3 (Ohio State Fair races) and Sept. 2 (Labor Day).

Average daily total handle for the track was up 33% compared to last year; total handle this week was $675,379. In 2012, Scioto raced three nights per week (Thursday-Saturday) while this year they race four.

The first mile of the season was won in a scorching 1:52 by a first time starter, Ilikeitrealhot and regular Scioto driver Jeff Nisonger. The fast paced miles continued throughout the week, with the open trot going to Southwind Pepino and owner/trainer/driver Hugh “Sandy” Beatty, who won the Friday night feature in 1:55.3 over a sloppy track. Saturday night’s feature, the open pace, went to locally trained Lonesome Attack in 1:51.1. Both Southwind Pepino and Lonesome Attack hold the seasons record for the fastest mile on their respective gaits through the first week.

Scioto offered a Super High Five wager for the first time during race nine this year and each night an 11 horse field went to the gate. On Wednesday Late for Work and driver Tony Hall won from post 11 in 1:55.4 after getting away eighth. For the 11 horse fields, horses leaving from posts 10 and 11 have finished in the money half of the time.

Racing continues Wednesday (May 15) with 11 races. Once again, all races have at least 10 horse fields with one race, the ninth, having an 11 horse field. Scioto offers a Pick-4 wager every night on races five-eight with the Thursday night Pick-4 guaranteed at $3,000 by the USTA Strategic Wagering program.

Racing will be held every Wednesday-Saturday with a post time of 6:30 p.m. through Saturday, September 14. Special 1:00 p.m. cards will be held on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4 th, August 3 (State Fair races) and September 2 (Labor Day).

Hugh “Sandy” Beatty bought Southwind Pepino, a son of Chocolatier out of the Dream Vacation mare Southwind Pamona after just one qualifier as a two-year-old.  But that qualifier wasn’t anything to write home about nor something that would make you think to buy that horse – he was pulled up after running through the first half of the race.

“He was just a really good looking horse…looked like a classy horse,” said Beatty.  “I knew he had a lot of family because I knew they gave quite a bit of money for him as a yearling.  He just looked like a horse that would…mature.  I thought he would mature into a better horse as he got older.”

That confidence and patience paid off as Southwind Pepino went on to take a mark of 1:57 that year but really blossomed as a four-year-old, taking a mark of 1:54 at Indiana Downs and earning $106,595.  While Indiana isn’t that far of a ship from Scioto, Beatty believes that staying closer to home is better for the horse.

“It’s easier on the horse, easier on us.  It would be nice if we could race here all year for the money we are now,” he explained.  Beatty will take his first shot at the 2013 racing season by giving Southwind Pepino his first start on the home track, where he trained this winter, at Scioto.  The horse will need a couple starts to truly get back to open competition form, but that’s okay, Beatty has patience, just like Frances Schloss.

Quick N’ Slick has been owned since he was born by Schloss but it hasn’t always been easy for trainer Scott Mogan to convince her to keep the son of Pegaus Spur.

“The horse didn’t race as a two-year-old.  And when he came back as a 3-year-old I knew he had a lot of talent but he was driving us crazy because for like six or seven straight qualifiers he made a break,” said Mogan, who also trained the gelding’s two older siblings during their two and three-year-old years.  “Chip (Noble) had been driving him most of the time and he kept saying this horse can go, he’s just not wanting to do it.

He couldn’t get 10 steps out of the gate and he was making mistakes and then once he set, he was fine.  So finally I told her (Frances), kept encouraging her, I said let’s keep going with this horse, I know he’s got talent.  Finally I actually qualified him myself the first time he got around there and I just decided to drive him a couple starts myself and try to keep his confidence up and everything.  Once he realized that he could do it and got his confidence up and got around there, he was a different horse.  He’s made a few mistakes since then but not very many.  He’s just a slow learner.”

But that patience and encouragement, both to the horse and the owner, paid off.  During the gelding’s three and four-year-old years, he made $72,449 and took a mark of 1:55.1 at Hoosier Park.  Now that the VLT money has come to Scioto and raised the purses, Mogan can stay closer to home, train and race his horses, while his son, Zach, finishes high school.

“You always want to stay home.  I don’t like to ship any more than I have to,” explained Mogan.  “We were forced to leave, race somewhere else where we could race for some money and give our owners a chance to make some money, at least to pay their training bills.  We were all hoping this would come about and are glad we can stay here to race.  It’s home for us.  It’s what we’ve been waiting for.

I think the competition is going to be tough.  One thing about it, good money always brings good horses.  We want a good product, we want good horses.  I think my horse is a good horse.  I told Frances, when you have a good horse, you got to race against good horses.”

When Southwind Pepino and Quick N’ Slick go behind the gate for the fifth race tonight, the Ohio Lottery race of the night, they will be taking on the likes of Run and Tell Pap, a Pennsylvania invader who is trained by the nation’s leading trainer Ron Burke.  They will also be racing against Deck the Halls, trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr., another trainer based at Scioto.  That horse seems to have found his best stride as of late, winning his most recent outing at Harrah’s Philadelphia in a new lifetime best 1:53.4.  But both Beatty and Mogan are ready to see their horses race at their local track, in front of the hometown crowd.

Racing is held at Sciotio every Wednesday-Saturday with a post time of 6:30 p.m. through Saturday, September 14.  Special 1:00 p.m. cards will be held on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4^th, August 3 (State Fair races) and September 2 (Labor Day).

That fast pace carried the track all the way through race number 11, with an all source handle increase of 40.1% compared to last year’s opening night (which was held on a Friday).

There were new faces at Scioto on the card; Tony Hall, Brad Hanners and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. each had at least seven drives, while last years leading drivers Kayne Kauffman, Dan Noble and Chris Page all had at minimum ten calls to the gate.  Both Hall and Page ended the night with a hat trick, winning three races a piece.

The 11 horse field that was carded as race nine was scoring down when the sky opened and caused the track to quickly become sloppy.  That race was the debut of the Super High Five, and some bettors were shut out trying to make a few bucks on the 10-cent bet.  Post 11 is the only post position that so far has a 100% win rate as Late for Work made his 101 lifetime start a winning one, stopping the timer in 1:55.4.

Racing will be held every Wednesday-Saturday with a post time of 6:30 p.m. through Saturday, September 14.  Special 1:00 p.m. cards will be held on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4^th, August 3 (State Fair races) and September 2 (Labor Day).

Trainers and drivers such as Scott Mogan, Virgil Morgan Jr., Sandy Beatty, Dan Noble, Kayne Kauffman, Chris Page, Jeff Nisonger and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. were shuttled over to the clubhouse in between races (mud and all) to greet the attendees.  Paddock tours were also held to give a behind the scenes view of what goes on during the races.

Twilight Bonfire took the fastest qualifier over a sloppy track by 12 ¼ lengths in 1:54.4 for local trainer Danny Collins, Michigan driver Brad Kramer and Pennsylvania owner Robert Key.  Kramer qualified the three-year-old son of The Panderosa last week at Scioto, which was the first outing for the colt since he won the Matron last November at Dover in 1:51.

With tonight (Wednesday) being opening day for live racing, two of Scioto’s leading drivers Chris Page and Dan Noble will be greeting the public starting at 5:45 p.m.  Page was the 2012 leading driver last year with 112 wins and a UDRS of .329.  Noble sported a .353 UDRS last year while racing at Scioto.

Three skydivers are scheduled to appear at 5:57 p.m. and will land in the infield around 6:00 p.m. during the national anthem.  The 11 races will start at 6:30 p.m.  Scioto will have the Pick-4, first presented in 2012, during races five-eight and is introducing the Super High Five during race nine, an 11 horse field.

Live racing will be held every Wednesday-Saturday with a post time of 6:30 p.m. through Saturday, September 14.  Special 1:00 p.m. cards will be held on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4^th, August 3 (State Fair races) and September 2 (Labor Day).

The new 10 cent Super High Five wager will be carded each night as race number nine, and the race office will do their best to ensure an 11 horse field each time (and if filled, Scioto will pay out six places).  The object of the wager is to pick the first five horses in the exact order of finish.

“With the 10-cent base wager, I think people will have fun with this,” said Scioto Downs Director of Mutuels Steve Carpenito.  “If no one selects all five finishers in exact order, the pool will carryover.”

In the case of a carryover, 75% of the pool will go to the next race card while the other 25% will go as a consolation to those that have selected the most horses in the correct order of finish.

“My hope is this is going to have some carryover opportunities and give added value to those making the wager,” Carpenito further explained.  “I’m looking forward to a very successful racing season wagering wise.”

Something else new for 2013 is a guaranteed Pick-4; the Pick-4 bet was introduced for the first time at Scioto in 2012.  The wager will be backed by the USTA Strategic Wagering program on Thursday evenings with a $3,000 guarantee pool.  Past performances for races five-eight will be available for free off of this page of the USTA website.  The same carryover opportunity will be available for the Pick-4 as the Super High Five.

“We picked Thursday for the guarantee because we see a window of opportunity in the simulcast universe to really get our signal out there,” explained Carpenito.

Racing will be held every Wednesday-Saturday with a post time of 6:30 p.m. through Saturday, September 14.  Special 1:00 p.m. cards will be held on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4^th, August 3 (State Fair races) and September 2 (Labor Day).

Qualifiers will typically be held Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. but the switch to Tuesday evening will allow the facility to execute a dry run before opening day.  The box for qualifiers will close Mondays at 9:00 a.m.

“We are excited to show the media and local officials a preview of what our races will be like this summer,” said Scioto Downs’ General Manager of Racing Operations Stacy Cahill.  “We have more horsemen and horses racing here and will have more exciting and competitive races this year than ever before.”

Once video lottery terminals (VLTs) became operational at the track in June 2012, horsemen racing at Scioto saw an increase in purse money, as well as competition.  However, the purse account isn’t the only thing at Scioto seeing resurgence.  The clubhouse is now the second area at Scioto that has seen major improvements in the last year.  In early 2012 the Penthouse, which now hosts year round simulcasting, saw a complete facelift.

“This winter our employees have worked hard to renovate the clubhouse that has been around for decades,” explained Cahill.  “New flat screen tvs, flooring, tables, chairs, and bars have been put in to give people coming to the track a comfortable and up-to-date area to watch, and wager on, the races.  We have also worked to improve the player rewards for those placing bets with our IN Club card.”

Racing will be held every Wednesday-Saturday with a post time of 6:30 p.m. through Saturday, September 14.  Special 1:00 p.m. cards will be held on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4^th, August 3 (State Fair races) and September 2 (Labor Day).  The box will close on Friday for Wednesday race nights, Monday for Thursday, Tuesday for Friday and Wednesday for Saturday.  For the two special Monday cards (Memorial Day and Labor Day), the box will close on Thursday.

On each of the qualifying days the last two weeks, Pet Rock charted the fastest mile of the day, proving he can take on the sloppy track just as well as a fast one.  On April 24 Dan Noble guided the four-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover to an eight and one-quarter length win in 1:56.1 with a :27.4 last quarter.  The track was listed sloppy and with a one second allowance for the cool 51 degree morning.

This morning, on a fast track in 70 degrees, Pet Rock also led at every call to a one and a quarter length victory, stopping the clock in 1:53 with a :27.3 last quarter.  The Virgil Morgan, Jr. trainee has earned over $1-million for owner Frank Bellino and took his 1:50 record as a three-year-old at Woodbine.

Racing will be held every Wednesday-Saturday with a post time of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8 through Saturday, September 14.  Special 1:00 p.m. cards will be held on May 27 (Memorial Day), July 4^th, August 3 (State Fair races) and September 2 (Labor Day).  The box will close on Friday for Wednesday race nights, Monday for Thursday, Tuesday for Friday and Wednesday for Saturday.  For the two special Monday cards (Memorial Day and Labor Day), the box will close on Thursday.

The ban on electronic cigarettes at Scioto Downs Racetrack & Casino has gone up in smoke, and the devices are permitted, casino officials say.

That means four of the state’s six major gambling venues allow the use of e-cigarettes.

“The policy was a loose policy when we first opened, and nobody really enforced it. We weren’t sure what the requirements were in Ohio,” said Troy Buswell, vice president and general manager of gambling operations at Scioto Downs.

After a recent Dispatch article included a list of the casinos that allow and forbid e-cigarettes, Buswell said his staff “received feedback from our guests who wanted them. … Our guests have spoken. We listened to what they want.” read full story…