First race held at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course

Inaugural Race

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November 24, 2014 marked the first horse race to take place at the Mahoning Valley Race Course.

AUSTINTOWN

Baby Time won the first race held at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course.

Baby Time, who was claimed by trainer Joe Poole for $4,000, won the $8,500 purse for the claiming race of three-year-olds and up.

Claiming races are when each horse in the race is for sale at a determined price. Poole, who has stalls at Hollywood Gaming, had his eye on the horse as Baby Time walked in the paddock before the race.

Baby Time, the seventh horse, was followed by Take A Walk, number 11, and Don’t Slip, number 1. Some people noted the 7-11 combo at the top of the first race.

He said he looks at forms and uses his knowledge of the business to decide whether to put a claim on a horse.

As Poole looked at the horse, he noted that the facility has been good to horsemen so far.

He explained that as the purses in the state have increased, Ohio horsemen have been having to keep getting good horses to run.

Due to increased and stabilized purses in the Buckeye State, interest has grown from East Coast states as well as Kentucky and Illinois, historically strong horse states.