past stable horses
Dayton Fall Claimer
History of the Dayton Claimer: 2017 was the first year we ventured into having a claiming horse race at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway. We had 3 different horses (because of the nature of the claiming game) with trainer Dan Ater and ended the year with 5 starts, 1 win and 2 thirds. For 2018, we continued to utilize the services of trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. who oversaw the training of our Scioto Summer Claimer. We ended the term with our horse, Bettor Win, having 8 starts for the group with 3 wins, 2 seconds and a third before being claimed from us at the end of October. After a couple year hiatus, we again tried the Dayton claimer once again in 2021/going into the 2022 meet at Miami Valley and between 2 horses had 5 starts.
Marrakesh Express
Ryan trained Marrakesh down over the winter between his 2 and 3-year-old year in 2020/2021. When the previous owner realized he wouldn't be a stakes colt, he offered Marrakesh for sale. We thought he would be a fun (little!) horse to bounce around the fairs and the NW1/2 races. We started off with a bang, 3 seconds on the Kentucky fair circuit. We decided to leave him down in Kentucky for the next three fairs and he came back to us sick. After treatment, he just really wasn't the same. We tried him out at a couple Ohio fairs and determined he needed a new home.
Rose Run Xpo
Xpo was purchased at the Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale in October 2020. As of the next May, Xpo has been in 2:27. Unfortunately our time with Xpo ended in late June as we felt he wasn't going to make it to the races.
Best Place to Rock
Rocky was purchased at the Blooded Horse Sale in November 2019. As a 2 and 3-year-old Rocky raced 32 times in Ohio and Pennsylvania for her previous connections. We purchased her with the intent of racing her through the Hollywood Gaming at Dayton meet and then continuing on at the Miami Valley Racing meet. In her very first start for us, and partner Hinchcliff Racing, Rocky won the non-winners of 4 conditioned claiming event at Dayton in 1:56. We then noticed that she was favoring a leg and found out she had a soft tissue injury to her right front. We ultrasounded her leg multiple times while she was on turnout during the winter and spring to make sure it was completely healed before bringing her back into training. Rocky made her long anticipated start back but after 10 starts it became apparent she did not want to be a racehorse anymore. Because of her breeding, we found her a great home at a breeding farm to be a momma.
Skyway Venus
Venus was purchased in August 2020 as a 3-year-old. She had 22 starts with $13,904 in earnings and a lifetime mark of 1:55.2 taken at Northfield. We raced her a couple starts at Scioto but she wasn't finishing the mile well. We tried a new piece of equipment on her and took her to Hoosier Park. She raced 13 times for us, earned just under $12,000 and took a new lifetime mark of 1:52.2 before being sold at the November 2020 Blooded Horse Sale.
Riveter Rose
Rosie was purchased in December 2019 with the intent to train her down and race her as a 3-year-old on the Ohio fair circuit and perhaps the Buckeye Stallion Series. While training down she was ready to qualify right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all the racetracks (well, everything) shut down. By the time the racetracks were able to open and start qualifying, she seemed to have more and more trouble navigating the half mile track turns. It became evident that the fair circuit racing would not suit her. We then tried her at Scioto, but they just went too fast for her. We sold her on OnGait.com in June of 2020.
Rocking Zoe
Zoe was purchased at the Fall Blooded Horse Sale in November 2018. As a 2-year-old Zoe raced 12 times in Ohio for her previous connections. She earned $7,262 and was race timed in 1:55.4 on at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway. We purchased Zoe with the intent of starting to race her in the late spring/summer of 2019 in Ohio. She started the year off with a bang giving HorsePlay our first stakes win, by winning a division of the Buckeye Stallion Series at Miami Valley in May. Zoe raced exceptional for us, earning $54,984 in 2019 and the very beginning of 2020. Her fastest win time was 1:54, but her 'best beaten time' was 1:53.2. In February 2020 we sold Rocking Zoe at the Blooded Horse Sale.
Scioto Summer Claimer
Each summer, we acquire a horse that races in the claiming races at Scioto Downs. (A claiming race is one where each horse in the race is available for purchase at the price listed.) We own the horse strictly from from May-August.
In 2019 with trainer, Kris Hinchcliff we had 6 starts with 3 wins. We had 2 horses, Shes Gorgeous Lady and Smash.
Our 2018 season (which was a few weeks shorter than the 2017 season) ended with 7 starts, 4 wins, 1 second and 1 fifth with trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. and partner Carl Howard.
In 2017, we had 11 starts, with 4 wins, 1 third and 2 fourths with trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr
Mary Mag Delene
Maggie was purchased at the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale as a yearling in 2016 and was the stable's first venture into owning yearlings. As a 2-year-old Maggie qualified twice at Scioto Downs and raced at 3 county fairs. She earned $1,614 and won her second qualifier in 2:04. She was turned out at the end of August 2017. In 2018 as a 3-year-old, she had 19 seasonal starts with 2 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third and $16,648 in earnings. Her fastest win was at the Montgomery County Fair held at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway in 2:00.2, but her best beaten time was 1:57.1 at Scioto Downs. In 2019 as a 4-year-old, Maggie had 18 starts with 5 seconds and 3 thirds, earning $21,210 for our group before our partner and trainer bought us out.
Gideon Seelster
Gideon was purchased at the sale in Harrisburg, PA in November 2018. Over the previous two years, he earned $32,956 while racing for trainer Gregg McNair. His fastest win time is 1:54, taken at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Gideon still fit the NW3 conditioned race, so we purchased Gideon with the intent of racing him at Miami Valley Gaming during the late winter/spring 2019. He was claimed from us during the subsequent Scioto meet, but not before he had 24 starts for us with 4 wins, 3 seconds, a third and over $35,000 in earnings for 2019.
Lonesomeisonfire
Lonesomeisonfire was purchased at the Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale in 2017 and was our first horse to own in partnership with trainer Ryan Miller. Lonesome ended the 2018 racing season with 13 starts, 2 wins, 6 seconds and 4 thirds at various county fairs around Ohio. His fastest individual race time was 2:01 at the Delaware County Fair. He was a lot of fun to watch that summer and took some well deserved time off to prepare for his 2019 3-year-old campaign. In 2019, Lonesome again had 13 starts, with 1 win, 2 seconds and 2 thirds for our group before he was sold to someone in New York.
Akhenaton
The Standardbred Owners Association of New York put together a promotion in 2018 to import French bred trotters for a series of races to be held at Yonkers Raceway. Owners who wanted to participate put down a deposit and 3 trainers traveled to France to train over 60 horses and narrowed it down to just over 20 horses to bring back over to the states. Names were drawn out of a hat to pair horses with owners and the horses were shipped over in mid-June. HorsePlay was lucky enough to purchase a small percentage of Akhenaton from the owner who put down the deposit, Bill Donovan of W.J. Donovan Racing. Akhenaton had 10 starts in the US with 2 wins, 1 third and 2 fourths for our group from June through October of 2018.