Horse pays $415.20 to win on record day at Mahoning Valley

Edited press release

R B Wild Promise, a 206-1 longshot triggered several record payoffs, including a $415.20 payout for a $2 win ticket with his victory in Monday’s 7TH race, a $5,000 conditional claiming event at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course on Monday, December 28. The win was also notable in that it provided owner/trainer Gwendolyn Crosser with her first ever training victory on a day that also produced an all-time record single program handle of $1,182,223 at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course.

Ridden by Luciano Hernandez, the four-year-old Florida bred son of D’Wildcat rallied outside of horses entering the stretch and prevailed late in a calvary charge to the finish in which the top six finishers were separated by just one length. Second & third place finishers Valiente Corazon and Indy Cruz rounded out a trifecta that paid a record $7,049.05 for a 50-cent wager.

The winning margin was a half-length and the running time for the 5 1/2 furlongs on a track labeled fast was 1:09.36 hand timed.

Gwendolyn Crosser, is a 23-year-old native of Gainesville, Florida, who just recently passed her trainer’s test after working at nearby Mountaineer Racetrack as an assistant to John Baird.

Crosser said afterwards, “I am on cloud nine. I can’t believe he won. It was so exciting, I was yelling c’mon boy, get up, and he did!

“I love him so much. I have had R B Wild Promise (known as Rb at the barn) for more than four months and he is just a cool horse with a great personality. You can be sure he will be getting extra carrots and apples tonight!” 

The total handle of $1.182 million on the nine-race program bettered the previous mark of $1,104 million set last December 30 and is the third million-dollar handle during the past week at the Austintown, Ohio, oval.

“We have been blessed with good weather and pleased that our full fields and competitive racing is proving popular with bettors, both locally and nationwide,” stated Mark Loewe, Vice-President of Ohio Racing for Penn National Gaming.

The win was the second of the year and third overall for R B Wild Promise. With the $5,160 winner’s share of the purse, he has now earned more than $22,790 from sixteen starts.

Racing continues on a four-day-a-week schedule, Monday-Wednesday, & Saturday, with a first post of 12:45 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday, and 12:15 p.m. on Saturdays (all times ET).

Photo courtesy of Mahoning Valley.