John’s Dream, Hot Hot Jenna and Speedy Taxi Each Win Virginia Breeders Aged Races Saturday at Shenandoah

(WOODSTOCK, VA. — 10/10/2020) —- John’s Dream, Hot Hot Jenna and Speedy Taxi won respective $10,000 Virginia Breeders races for aged competitors Saturday at Shenandoah Downs as the Woodstock oval completed its fourth weekend of a five-week fall season.

Chuck Perry drove both John’s Dream and Speedy Taxi to victory.

John’s Dream continued a remarkable streak of success at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds oval with a victory in the first Aged Pace division. The 7-year-old Dream Away gelding wired the field in 1:54 1/5 and beat runner-up Rusty’s Houdini by 1 3/4 lengths. With his 36th lifetime win, John’s Dream’s bankroll went over the $300,000 mark. Since 2015, he has made 30 starts in Virginia — 28 in Woodstock and two at Oak Ridge in 2015 when he was a freshman — and won 22 of those. John’s Dream won a Virginia Breeders championship title as a 2 and 3-year-old and has won an Aged Breeders race now in back-to-back years. Chuck Perry owns, trains and drives the consistent pacer. 

John’s Dream set the Shenandoah Downs track record of 1:52 1/5 in 2016.

Hillbilly Fairytale finished third.

Mark Gray’s Hot Hot Jenna, a 7-year-old pacing mare, wired the field in the second Breeders division in 1:57 4/5. The daughter of Jenna’s Beach Boy also has a strong history in the Commonwealth.  She was a Breeders runner-up as a 2-year-old at Oak Ridge in 2015, finished third in the ’16 final at Shenandoah as a sophomore and has won an aged race, like John’s Dream, in consecutive years. She now has 15 wins, 14 seconds and 14 thirds from 119 starts and with Saturday’s score, saw her earnings top $90,000. Gray owns, trains and drives Hot Hot Jenna.

Speedy Taxi won the $10,000 Virginia Breeders Aged Trot.

Sketcher finished second and One Proud Diamond was third.

Speedy Taxi edged Zsa Zsa Dabor by one-half length in the Aged Trot to win his ninth career race. Also seven, the Gregory Pecs gelding crossed in 2:01 1/5 and was able to remain flat after encountering previous breaking issues at Shenandoah this year. He also has had success in past Breeders events. The Renfrow Hauser trainee was second in ’15 as a freshman then won the ’16 title as a 3-year-old. Chuck Perry was in the sulky and Arthur Hauser of Mount Airy, North Carolina owns Speedy Taxi.

Flaming Trix was third.

The final racing weekend kicks off Friday with a card at 2 PM and continues Saturday at 1 PM.