DAYTON, OH. – Youlookhot took full advantage of some quick early fractions in Hollywood Dayton's $18,500 Mares Open Pace on Friday night to score a 1:52.4 harness racing triumph, her seventh of the year. The four-year-old Kilowatt mare pounced from a rail ride in third over the first seven-eighths of the mile to real in the frontsteppers .
Driver Randy Tharps sat patiently behind pacesetter Stirling Euphoria (Dan Noble) and pocket sitter My Tweed Heart (Josh Sutton) threw splits of :26.2, :54.3 and 1:23 before angling out in early stretch to blow by the leaders. The homebred mare, owned by Charles Stovall of Lebanon, Ohio, returned $7.20 to win, $16 coupled with My Tweed Heart in the exacta, and $28.10 for a 50-cent trifecta ticket with Stirling Euphoria in the show spot. Youlookhot, who is trained by Joseph Essig, eclipsed the $90,000 seasonal earnings plateau with the victory, her most productive year to date.
Driver Kyle Ater enjoyed a tremendous initial 2017 program at Hollywood Dayton, returning from a short vacation to post five wins, each producing a handsome mutuel payoffs. His successes came behind the trotter Caring Gracee (1:58.2, $14.40), and pacers Legal Brief (1:54.2, $21.60), Capt Serious (1:56.1, $10.00), Shocking Image (1:52.2, $11.00) and Incredible Joey (1:54.3, $7.60).