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Market Share heads to Ohio for $200,000 trot

Market Share, coming off a world-record performance on May 25 at Harrah's Philadelphia, is the 2-1 morning line favorite for Saturday's $200,000 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot at Scioto Downs in Ohio.

Market Share, coming off a world-record performance on May 25 at Harrah's Philadelphia, is the 2-1 morning line favorite for Saturday's $200,000 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot at Scioto Downs in Ohio.

Owned by Blue Bell's Richard Gutnick, Market Share will faces nine rivals in the Charlie Hill. He starts from post four for trainer Linda Toscano and driver Jeff Gregory, who is subbing for Tim Tetrick because Tetrick will be racing in Canada.

The Charlie Hill Memorial field also features Arch Madness, Archangel, Creatine, Undercover Strike, Modern Family, Fusion Man, Major Athens, Rompaway Beau, and DW's NY Yank.

"We were on the fence about going, but I sat down with Richard and talked about it," Toscano said. "We made a 'pro' and 'con' list and the only thing on the 'con' list was we're not going to have our driver. But we're very fortunate to have Jeff Gregory in the barn and there's a break from Yonkers and the New York Sire Stakes this week, so he can go and drive the horse.

"Our next main goal is to have him as good as we can for the Maple Leaf Trot (in mid-July). I think this race fits his schedule nicely and he seems good. I understand the track is great out there, so we're going to take a shot."

Gregory drove Market Share to a 5-for-5 season as a 2-year-old in 2011. For his career, the 5-year-old Market Share has won 23 of 42 races and earned $3.26 million. He was named the 2012 Dan Patch Award winner for best 3-year-old male trotter and the 2013 Dan Patch Award winner for best older male trotter.

Gutnick owns Market Share with TLP Stable, and Bill Augustine.

In winning the Maxie Lee on May 25 at Harrah's Philadelphia, Market Share trotted history's fastest mile on a five-eighths track, stopping the timer in 1:50.2. Scioto Downs also is a five-eighths-mile oval.

"He came out of the Maxie Lee really, really well," Toscano said. "He had a nice easy week last week and should be ready to go."

Market Share is not the only star in the Charlie Hill Memorial.

Ten-year-old Arch Madness is one of just nine trotters to earn more than $4 million in career purses. He has won 34 of 111 lifetime races, including the 2007 Breeders Crown, 2008 Maple Leaf Trot, and 2011 Oslo Grand Prix. He is a two-time runner-up in the international invitational Elitlopp in Sweden.

Archangel and Creatine both won Trotting Triple Crown races at age 3; Archangel capturing the 2012 Yonkers Trot and Creatine the 2013 Kentucky Futurity.

Modern Family is coming into the Charlie Hill off a second-place finish in the Cutler Memorial on May 17 and has finished no worse than third in 11 starts this year. He has won five times.

DW's NY Yank leads the field in earnings this year, with $171,600, and has exceled on smaller tracks. He has won nine of his last 14 starts around five-eighths-mile ovals and failed to hit the board only once.

"It's going to be a good race," Toscano said. "It all goes to promoting the horse and promoting the industry. That's the beauty of the older horses. I think we're going to find that the older horses really develop a following. People really like watching quality horses race.

"Years ago, the horse was the star. I'm all about making the horse the star. I believe in it. I love that."

Racing in Ohio has enjoyed a resurgence since the introduction of video lottery terminals in 2012 and has attracted some of the sport's best horses for Grand Circuit events.

"It's nice to see Ohio is getting back on the map again," Toscano said. "They've always been good fans. Probably the single-biggest turnout every year is the Little Brown Jug, so Ohio has been very good to Standardbred racing. It's kind of fun to be able to pay back a little bit and go out there and race."