The $320,000 (div.) event concludes this week at Miami Valley Raceway.

by Jay Wolf

When the $50,000 James K. Hackett Memorial finals go postward starting on Monday (April 22) at Miami Valley Raceway, it signals the start of the Ohio-bred stakes season and no one is more excited to start that season than driver Chris Page.

Page and trainer Ron Burke have dominated the Ohio-sired events the past half decade, teaming up for five straight Jerry Kaltenbach Memorial Trophies as the top driver and trainer on the Ohio Sire Stakes (OHSS) circuit. The Page/Burke duo will hook up in each of the four Hackett finals.

The 3-year-old filly trotters will kick off four straight days of Hackett finals on Monday afternoon and Page will leave from post 3 with Iam Independent (2-1 morning line).

With only six entered, eliminations were not necessary, so a $20,000 Hackett preview was held last Monday and Jurassic Hattie (Brett Miller) scored a 3 ½-length win over Legacy Affair (Trace Tetrick) and Iam Independent.

The sophomore filly pacers will take center stage on Tuesday (April 23) and Page will have the coveted rail position with Seaside Diva (2-1 morning line).

The ‘Diva’ made her first 2024 start a winning one with a gate-to-wire effort in 1:52.4.

“It was great to see her back,” said Page. “She suffered an injury late in the season last year. Right before the OHSS final she got into a fence and mangled her leg.

“Her effort in the elimination brought a smile to my face. It was great to see her come back in such great shape.”

The other elimination winner, No Follin April (Brett Miller) will leave from post 5 as the third choice at 9-2.

Wednesday’s (April 24) feature will be the 3-year-old colt trotters where seven trotters were entered. Last Wednesday’s preview saw the return of Tennessee Tom, the Buckeye State’s top freshman colt trotter last season.

Tennessee Tom won the preview with a first-up effort in 1:55.4.

The Long Tom gelding came into his first start of the season off of what appeared to be a lackluster qualifying effort on April 5.

“That qualifier was much better than it looked,” said Page. “I did not stretch out any of the horses that I qualified that day. The track was a little loose, it was cold and windy. Basically, it was not a day to go fast. He went in [1]:58 and was wrapped up.”

Page is looking forward to another memorable season from Tennessee Tom.

Page and ‘Tom’ teamed up to win last season’s $300,000 Ohio Sire Stakes Championship and was second to his stablemate, T C I, in the most memorable Mohawk Million.

The heavily favored T C I took a couple of bad steps at the start of the ‘Million’ and had to use the live cover of Tennessee Tom to get back into the race.

Page was able to get Tennessee Tom on top in the long Woodbine Mohawk Park stretch but T C I showed his grit in winning by 1¼-lengths.

“No way [T C I] could win after making that break,” said Page. “Man, that was tough, but it was great that Ronnie [Burke] was first and second in that event. My horse raced great.”

Tennessee Tom finished his freshman season with five wins in nine starts and earned $456,350, which was good for sixth place in North America.

The 2024 Hackett finals will wrap up on Thursday (April 25) with the glamour boys; the 3-year-old colt pacers.

Page drove a pair of Burke trainees to fourth place finishes in last Thursday’s sophomore colt pace elims; both coming from well off the pace.

In the first elimination, Page sent Midwind Beach Boy three wide at the three-quarter pole but came up 2 lengths short, timed in 1:51.2. The final elimination saw Downbythedanceclub overcome the outside post 9 to finish 2½-lengths behind Janelle Granny (Brett Miller) in 1:51.1.

Qualifying two for the rich final could cause some debate, but Page said he will drive Downbythedanceclub.

“I really like Downbythedanceclub,” Page said. “He was very fast. He showed [1]:52 speed last year. He was sitting last in his elimination in the final turn and he came home very strong.

“If he draws well in the final, we’ll have a good chance to win.”

Some see winning the Hacketts as a curse, but the 40-year-old reinsman doesn’t subscribe to that myth.

“In the past, horses that won the Hackett final struggled in the first [Ohio] Sire Stakes leg, but Ron and I have bucked that trend the past couple of years,” said Page. “I love the Hacketts. Those races fit my driving style. Race them smart in April so they are good in September.”

The James K. Hackett Memorials are named for the London, OH horseman, who captured the 1967 Little Brown Jug with Best Of All.

Better known as Jim “Rocky” Hackett, the son-in-law of Hall of Fame driver/trainer/trackman Wayne “Curly” Smart, died in 1970 at the age of 52 shortly after crossing the finish line at Latonia (KY) Raceway.