Ocean Storm Headlines 2027 Oak Grove Trotting Derby Eliminations With Stakes-Record Performance

Oak Grove, KY – Grade 1 William Wellwood Memorial winner Ocean Storm secured his spot in the eliminations to the 2027 $500,000 Oak Grove Trotting Derby with a stakes record equaling performance of 1:52.4 in Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. 

 

Driver Yannick Gingras won the Wellwood for the fifth time in his career.  This Chapter Seven colt was an $80,000 Lexington Selected yearling and is owned by ADH Holding, LLC, Paul Kautz, Jeff Gural and Jean Pierre Barjon. 

 

Athena’s Girl, a $300,000 daughter of Walner, out of Fashion Athena, also secured her “Win and You’re In” automation spot the eliminations to the $300,000 Oak Grove Trotting Oaks by winning the Grade 1 Peaceful Way at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday night.  Trained by Marcus Melander for owner Brad Grant, Athena’s Girl established a new lifetime mark of 1:53.0. 

 

 

The “Road to…” series was established to reward top two-year-old trotting performances and enrich Oak Grove’s premier events. A series of designated Grand Circuit and Sire Stakes races serve as automatic qualifying events to the Derby and Oaks eliminations. 

Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel is a premier harness racing and gaming destination in Oak Grove, Kentucky, dedicated to providing a world-class experience to guests and supporting the local community.  Oak Grove’s annual 36-day race meet is conducted from mid-March through mid-July with average daily purses ranking among the leaders in North America.  

Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) has been creating extraordinary entertainment experiences for over 150 years, beginning with the company’s most iconic and enduring asset, the Kentucky Derby. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, CDI has expanded through the development of live and historical racing entertainment venues, the growth of the TwinSpires horse racing online wagering business and the operation and development of regional casino gaming properties.

 

The Kentucky Harness Association exists to promote, support and facilitate growth in the harness industry in Kentucky and to promote and encourage cooperative efforts among racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and drivers, fans, and other industry participants for the overall benefit of the industry.  The KHA strives to increase visibility on issues that impact the industry on local, state, and national levels while continuing to promote the Kentucky harness racing and breeding industry.