SUMMER MEET NEARING HALF WAY POINT AT OCEAN DOWNS

The Ocean Downs' 60th Anniversary live racing meet is nearly half-over as Sunday, July 20th is the twentieth night in the forty-day meet. Crowds at the Ocean Oval have continued to be strong and racing has been very competitive. Rosecroft and Harrington Raceways have completed their spring meets and the number of quality horses racing at the ocean is the highest in years. Many nights the track has offered eleven races rather than the customary ten per evening and many of the top drivers in the region are competing at the Ocean Oval.

Nationally-known driver Eric Ledford leads in the driver standings with 23 wins after the sixteenth night of racing Sunday, July 13. Frank Milby, the leading driver at Rosecroft with 108 wins this year at the Fort Washington, Maryland track and the 2007 Ocean Downs top driver with 67 wins, has returned to the ocean where he is third with 12 wins. Rosecroft Raceways's third-leading driver John Wagner already has nine wins at the Ocean Oval this summer and is joined by Harrington's fourth leading driver Brandon Givens competing regularly. Noted drivers George Napolitano, Jr., Victor Kirby and Roger Plante, Jr. often race at Ocean Downs.

Local favorite Ray Robinson, Jr. is having another very productive meet. "Shorty" has driven 15 winners during the current meet and as of July 15, is only 28 wins away from the coveted 1,000-win mark. Other well-known shore drivers including Wayne Long, Mark Gray, Sam Belote, W. David Hill III, Eddie Nickle, Bryan Truitt, Charles Perry and William Carter have had strong meets to date.

The leading trainer with nine wins is Mike Hall from Frankford, Delaware. One of Hall's many fine trainees is Mr. Love Joy, a ten year-old gelding which was the only horse to earn four wins through July 13 during the current meet.

Ocean Downs is featuring a number of quality stakes races through the second-half of harness action, including the finals of the Chesapeake Bay Racing Series Wednesday, August 13 with total purse money for four events exceeding $100,000. The 2008 Maryland Standardbred Fund races will be run Wednesday and Thursday, August 20 and 21.

Two late closer series have been completed thus far with nine year-old gelding High Brook Lou earning first and fourth (final) leg wins in the "Bud Light Pace". Driver Eric Ledford teamed with trainer Mike Hall as three year-old filly Alice's Restaurant won back-to-back races in the "Austin Thomas Memorial" late closer #9 series. Six other late closer stakes series are scheduled through the remainder of the meet.

First post for all races is 7:35 pm. Live races are run every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Parking and admission are free. For further information, call Ocean Downs (410) 641-0600.

Jim Whittemore, Publicity Director, X 204

jim.whittemore@oceandowns.com