< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as of March 22, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Mar 22, 2026 Lester Raines Kennel’s LNS Ritzi Go Go has four wins and a second in her last five starts (A, AA) for trainer Joel Roden. Charter Kennel’s Oshkosh Explorer has three straight Grade AA victories for trainer James Campbell. Kennel-mate Oshkosh Alive has back-to-back wins (B, A). Wayne Ward Kennel’s WV’s Lindy Point has won three out of his last four races (A, AA) for trainer Ron Otto. Kennel-mate WV’s Raven Rock has two victories and a second in his last three 3/16 trips (TA, TAA). Jacobs Racing Kennel’s Miss Popular has back-to-back Grade AA wins for trainer Natalie Looper. Kennel-mate DD’s Acey Duecy has three straight victories (D, C, B). Code Red Kennel’s FF Durango has captured three out of his last four outings (C, B, A) for trainer Tom Engle. Blanchard Kennel’s Arkwild B Grinch has back-to-back wins (A, AA) for trainer Chris Maynard. Previous Next

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< Back WHEELING HOT DOGS ( AS OF JANUARY 25, ALL RACES 5/16 UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED ) Stan Pawloski Jan 25, 2021 Steve Sarras Kennel’s CTW Black Forest has won five out of his last six trips (TAA 3/16, AA) for trainer Barb Long. Kennel-mate Kells Xterra has back-to-back wins (A, AA). Imark Kennel’s Imark Mash has two victories, three seconds and a third in his last six Grade AA races for trainer Diann Derr. Kennel-mates Imark Boog (B, A) and Imark Heath (B, A 3/8) have two straight wins while Sumkindawonderful has won three out of his last four outings (M, C, B). Abrahamson Kennel’s Arroyo Phoenix has three victories, three seconds and a third in his last seven trips (C, B, A, AA) for trainer Tom Engle. Patriot/Taplin Kennel’s Flying Nutella (A, AA), Jet Jet (A, AA) and Flying Perfume (TA, TAA 3/16) have back-to-back wins for trainer Joe Otto. Lester Raines Kennel’s Super C Kix has two straight victories (A, AA) for trainer Joel Roden. Blanchard Kennel’s Penrose Niko has back-to-back wins (B, A) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Xtrem Hess Racing Kennel’s Keeper Perseus has three 3/8 victories in a row (D, C, B) for trainer Jill Spicer. Previous Next

< Back DERBY LANE WELCOMES BACK FANS May 20, 2020 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Derby Lane welcomed back patrons on Wednesday. After losing 49 performances to the coronavirus pandemic, the greyhound track resumed racing May 8 with no fans allowed on the premises. That changed Wednesday, when patrons were allowed back and the poker room was reopened. The card room will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. with 50 percent capacity. Twenty-six of its 52 tables are available with a limit of six players per table. Derby Lane also is opening its fourth-floor simulcast area. The track has made several changes to ensure safety for its employees and patrons, including plexiglass dividers, social distancing markings, regular cleaning and disinfectant practices. Derby Lane, which currently holds matinees daily at 12:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, is adding a Saturday evening performance at 7:30 p.m., beginning May 30. All performances feature 15 races. Lester Raines entered Wednesday as the win leader in the 14-kennel standings with 145 victories, 16 ahead of both ABC Racing and Capabal. Shoot The Breeze of Floyd kennel has the meet’s most victories among greyhound runners with 13. Previous Next

< Back LEAP DAY ALL-DISTANCE CARD Feb 28, 2020 What a great Saturday evening we have for you for LEAP year. It happens once every four years, so we though we would add 4 other stakes distances to the mix and get an ALL Distance card for everyone to wager on. You get to see stakes events over 330, 550, 660, 770, and 990 yards, and that includes 2 semi-final-round of the 2020 bestbet Sprint Classic. If that was not enough, we will be running our Leap Year Loot promotion where we will be giving away loads of cash! Let’s take a closer look at the races and see if we can get you cashing some tickets this Saturday at bestbet Jacksonville. Leap Day All Distance Evening – Saturday February 29, 2020 Race 2 – (330 Yards) – Super sprint coming your way and there is no better early speeder than JS Range Rover. This greyhound can get to the front on any field and this one is NOT chalked full of grade A’s. Expect him to be pressed, but on the lead, he wins. Prompting the pace will be the other inside ankle burners. Mi Bronc Buster is a promising pup that is not just fast, but he has his beloved rail too. Jay Abu is more rusher than breaker, so see the instant lead won’t happen, but he still should be in the mix. And don’t forget about Misterbythatmuch. Another strong early threat that is well posted and could upset. (3-1-4-2) Race 4 – (990 Yards) – From the shortest course to the longest, the super-marathon runners make their way into the card once again. You never pick against the Lashmet Kennel in this race as they have won the last 2 times, we have run it. They always seem to dominate and LK’s Dimingus gets the nod tonight. RS Libbys Pick has the class edge on everyone else and the rail which makes her dangerous. Like the rest though, just don’t know if she can go this far. WW Aces Of Aces is a good steady runner with good class lines that might be able to contend over the route, and Watch Me Grin might not look that good on paper, but the gears he has late might just come in handy over the added, added distance event. If you are looking for a longshot, pick the Cheshire cat from the middle post. (6-1-7-5) Race 5 – (550 Yards) – Semi-Finals 2020 bestbet Sprint Classic – Talk about your tough races. This one is loaded to the brim with tip top talent and it is going to be highly contested from the get-go. Obviously Pat C News will bomb to the lead and control this race to the stretch but getting home a winner could be a tricky proposition in this race. WHY? The fast as I want to be runner, WW Blazing Crest is right next door and can outbreak, or, run down, News if his head is on right. Recently he has been MONEY, and tonight I the trend continues from a better post. Double winners Penrose Boss and LK’s Effingham are no slouch themselves as both get good post position and can threaten a pace from close or far. (4-5-2-7) Race 7 – (660 Yards) – I see this race looking like the last one over this distance, the finals of the 2020 Orange Park Derby. WP’s Twistedlady is back from a couple of efforts over 550 for the stakes and now gets back at home over 660 yards. She loves the outside, she won the stakes from the 8 box, and I expect her break to return. She will be pressed early by Arby from the rail. This solid grade A early speeder will be on or near the lead in the early stages of this race, but late he just won’t be able to hang with the champ. Fellow finalist Fakeit To Makeit always gives her all in each and every start. A solid chaser, she should factor in the money throughout in this effort, and don’t forget WW Frankie D. You might not know his name, but you need to pay attention. He is a solid grade A that can close well over the round and finally gets out of the 5 box. If he gets loose, he could be upset minded tonight. (5-1-6-7) Race 9 – (770 Yards) – Another wide-open race and only a couple of greyhound have run this far in this field. Class over the rest, so you have to like the grade A’s on the outside of the racetrack. LK’s I Got This looks the part. A solid grade A winner that is not short over the 660 yards course and can dominate up front when she gets loose early. The 8 box with no speed around early, helps her get it done. Pat C Woozy is hot off a win and can flat out fly late when he is not impeded early on. Don’t expect to see her early, but late you know that she will make her presence known. Dutch Bally might lack class, but has the raw late speed needed to be effective over this distance, and KW Cassadee Pope is a solid chasing plugger that has run 770 before and knows how to stay in the money. Look for another superfecta finish tonight. (8-7-3-6) Race 11 – (550 Yards) – Semi-Finals 2020 bestbet Sprint Classic – The other semi-final round race and this one is just as tough as the other. Easi Conroy has to be the one to beat here. He has won 3 straight races, and 5 of his last 6 starts, and took down super pup Pat C Lookie Last time out. He has the 1 box and I don’t see anything working against him. He will have to be on the top of his game, but an undefeated run through the rounds is within his reach. Speaking of Lookie, she is back in with Conroy again and gets a chance at revenge. This double winner in the stakes was a mere couple of lengths off of the track record in round number 1. Her blazing speed could be a difference maker, especially if she can outbreak Conroy from a great middle post. Others to consider include Lookie’s kennelmate Pat C Adieu and Super C Addison. Adieu looks to rebound after a rough trip last time out and Addison is never out of any race that she runs in. Both have the skills to score, might just need a little help to get it done in this effort against this talented field of greyhounds. (4-1-6-5) Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as of January 4, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Jan 12, 2026 Wayne Ward Kennel’s WW Let’s Getiton has four straight Grade AA victories for trainer Ron Otto. Lester Raines Kennel’s Neon Light Speed (TA, TAA 3/16) and DL Comin To Win (M, D, C) have won three out of their last four starts for trainer Joel Roden. Steve Sarras Kennel’s Venus has back-to-back Grade AA wins for trainer Chuck DiGiovanni. Jacobs Racing Kennel’s GLS Rice Baby has three victories and a second in her last four 3/16 outings (TB, TA, TAA) for trainer Natalie Looper. Kennel-mate Ifyaknowuknow has won four out of her last five trips (D, C, B, A). Charter Kennel’s Oshkosh Brandy has back-to-back wins (B, A) for trainer James Campbell. Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as of September 20, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Sep 20, 2021 Lester Raines Kennel’s JS Slush Fund has won four out of her last five Grade AA races for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mate JS Saltythursday has back-to-back Grade AA wins. Steve Sarras Kennel’s Red Velvet has three straight 3/8 victories (C, B, TA) for trainer Barb Long. Jacobs Racing Kennel’s Denali Darlin (C, B, A) and JW’s Ladyluck (D, C, B) have captured three out of their last four outings for trainer Louise Strong. Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s BGR Goldfinger has back-to-back wins (B, A) for trainer Frank Pellittere. Blanchard Kennel’s Arkans Ballarat has won three out of his last four trips (M, D, C) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Previous Next

< Back WW SLICK SIMON CAPTURES 2020 WHEELING WIN LEADER CROWN Stan Pawloski Feb 4, 2021 Since being booked at Wheeling Island in late 1999, Wayne Ward has won kennel championships, captured numerous stake events, had many all-Wheeling selections and even All-Americans. One accomplishment the kennel had never achieved until the 2020 racing season – a track win champion. Catching fire late in the year, Wayne Ward Kennel’s WW Slick Simon took the top spot on the win leaderboard in December and cemented the championship with a victory on New Year’s Eve. The Ron Otto-trained sprinter finished the year with 17 victories. “Our kennel didn’t fare too well in the standings last year, but it’s quite an honor to have our first track win champion. I am so proud of what (WW) Slick Simon accomplished,” Otto said. “Halfway through the 2020 racing season I never gave the track win championship a thought, so I am pleasantly surprised.” WW Slick Simon’s victory total of 17 is the lowest for a leader since Flying Lone Wolf and Go Bon Coaltrain shared the track win championship with 20 each in 2013. Wheeling racing was shut down for 12 weeks in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. An April 2017 greyhound out of Kiowa Producer-WW’s Polished, WW Slick Simon had 14 Grade AA victories among his 17 wins along with 8 seconds, 5 thirds and 6 fourths. The sprinter hit the superfecta ticket in 77 percent of his races and finished in the trifecta in 64 percent of his starts. WW Slick Simon opened his career at Southland Greyhound Park in October 2018, posting a win and a third in 10 starts, before moving up to Wheeling Island in early 2019. “I thought Slick Simon had a lot of potential when he broke in at Southland, but he didn’t run the turns very well,” Otto said. “Wheeling has been a better fit and he’s turned into a pretty nice greyhound.” The sprint dandy started his late surge in mid-October 2020 – recording 7 wins, 4 seconds and 1 third in his last 14 starts of the year. He had another hot streak in July with 4 wins, 3 seconds and 1 third in eight races. “Slick Simon is a streaky greyhound – he’ll get hot for six, seven, eight straight starts at a time. He’s more successful when he draws inside boxes,” Otto said. “He needs to break and likes to be on or near the front early in his races. If he clears the first turn first or second, he has a good chance to win.” During the 2020 season, WW Slick Simon was posted in the one or two holes 17 times and never missed the pay sheet. He had 10 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds and 2 fourths in those races. WW Slick Simon was almost unbeatable when having the lead coming home last year. Only one time was he picked off in the 17 races had the front end entering the homestretch. “He’s getting older but he’s still pretty strong on the lead,” Otto said. “When he gets loose early, he can fly.” In 105 career Wheeling starts through January 2021, WW Slick Simon had 28 wins, 13 seconds, 11 thirds and 9 fourths. He is owned by Jaws Racing. While WW Slick Simon topped the leader board with 17 victories, 22 other greyhounds won at least 10 races in 2020 at Wheeling Island. The 2020 Wheeling Island win leaderboard and kennel follows: 17 – WW Slick Simon (Wayne Ward) 15 – Craigie Pirate (Lester Raines) 14 – L’s Luv It (Blanchard), CTW Tira Misu (Patriot/Taplin) 13 – JS Go Flex (Jacobs Racing) 12 – JS Drinkmepretty (Lester Raines), CTW Lotus Flower (Imark), BGR Big Al (Brad Boeckenstedt), BGR Waxon Waxoff (Brad Boeckenstedt) 11 – Easi Lil Charlie (Blanchard), Abbi’s Eagle (Jacobs Racing), AB Bad Influence (Jacobs Racing), BGR Call Me Hank (Brad Boeckenstedt), Craigie Deuce (Lester Raines) 10 – AD Black Falcon (Xtrem Hess Racing), JSK Roulette (Jacobs Racing), TNT Free Falling (Patriot/Taplin), Rebelicious (Jacobs Racing), RS Perfectionist (Lester Raines), PBW Gannicus (Blanchard), Fabio Fognini (Blanchard), Shes Kinky (Jacobs Racing), Firey High Cot (Jacobs Racing) Previous Next

< Back WVGOBA PANHANDLE SPRINT TO KICK OFF Stan Pawloski Oct 3, 2022 The $65,000 West Virginia Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association Panhandle Championship kicks off Friday, Oct. 7, at Wheeling Island with a field of 25 sprinters. The second round is set for Wednesday, Oct. 12, and the semifinals on Sunday, Oct. 16. The championship final will be Friday afternoon, Oct. 21. CET Barracuda, winner of the WVGOBA Juvenile Championship in late September, is entered in the Panhandle sprint stakes. Entries by kennel for the Panhandle sprint event follow: A Ray: Mac’s Sidnyjames, Rico’s Hell Yeah. Code Red: Arroyo Roxanne. Imark: CET Barracuda, CET Piranha, CET Fernando, CET Marlin. Jacobs Racing: GLS Blondie. Lester Raines: RS’s Dark Night, RS’s Power House, RS’s Blue Heaven, RS’s Happy Harper, RS’s Big Jake, RS’s Railhauler, RS’s Dunkindylan, RS’s Super Freak. Steve Sarras: CET Moto Moto, CET Tiger Boy, CET Sashaligotti, CET Foxy, CET Dirty Dan, CET Dirty Mike, CET Dirty Stella, CET Musketeer, TS Pretty Boy. Previous Next

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< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as June 13, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Jun 13, 2022 Steve Sarras Kennel’s Florentine has five straight Grade AA wins for trainer Jay Falcone. Xtrem Hess Racing Kennel’s Keeper Cry has won three out of his last four Grade AA trips for trainer Jill Spicer. Kennel-mate Xtrem Donkey has back-to-back wins (B, A). Lester Raines Kennel’s SNL Ramey has three victories and two seconds in her last five Grade TAA 3/16 outings for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mate RS’s Power House has won four out of his last five trips (D, C, B, A). Charter Kennel’s FGF Raylan has three straight 3/8 wins (TC, TB, TAA) for trainer James Campbell. Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s BGR Boogie Man has captured three out of his last four 3/8 races (B, TA, TAA) for trainer Frank Pellittere. Wayne Ward Kennel’s WW By All Means has three victories in a row (C, B, A) for trainer Ron Otto. Kennel-mate WW Mind Your Biz has back-to-back wins (B, A). Blanchard Kennel’s Artex Kusapin has three straight victories (D, C, B) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Previous Next

< Back AFTER 95 YEARS, DERBY LANE'S FINAL DAY Dec 28, 2020 hey came. They saw. They wanted more. Except, there would be no more. Derby Lane, the picturesque greyhound track on Florida’s West Coast, provided many parting snapshots for its fans on Sunday – the final day of a racing era that spanned nearly a century. “It’s just really sad that this has come to an end after 95 years of racing, through thick and thin, and wars, and . . . .’’ said Louise Weaver, Derby Lane vice president whose great-grandfather, T.L. Weaver, kicked off the sport in Pinellas County on Jan. 3, 1925. “It’s tough to see the greyhound people lose their livelihoods. I see a subculture leaving.’’ Derby Lane and greyhound racing fans knew this day had been coming since 2018, when state voters approved a constitutional amendment to end the sport by 2021. Richard Winning, track president and chairman of the board, and his staff decided to turn the farewell into a memorable weekend. Two Saturday performances produced a total all-source wagering handle of $929,237 (compared to $645,186 the previous Saturday), and an overflow crowd on Sunday (attendance figures were not available) led to a handle of $685,107 for the 15-race card. The final winner at the historic facility came when LK’s Santorini of Lashmet kennel crossed the finish line at 4:59 p.m. to capture the $30,000 Grand Finale Derby. “It is something I’ll remember forever . . . ever,’’ Lashmet kennel manager and trainer Ken Deacon said. LK’s Santorini paid $5.80 as the second wagering choice. Ironically, it was the identical win price that Caymanacadillac of Tri-Star kennel paid in the final race held at Tampa Greyhound Track on Aug. 18, 2007 – ending that site’s 75-year run with live racing. No future plans have been announced for the Derby Lane property, but the track will continue to offer poker and simulcast wagering like Tampa Greyhound Track is doing. Greyhounds at Derby Lane have either been adopted out or are being transported to out-of-state tracks that continue to race. The final performance came on a pleasant and sunny afternoon. Ninety-minutes before the first race, hundreds of fans stood in line outside the track’s main entrance, each wanting to get one of the 1,000 Derby Lane 95th anniversary caps being given away, and to claim their preferred seats or places to stand. Few, if any, parking spots remained. Long lines formed at the concession stands and at the pari-mutuel windows. A band performed outside for several hours, and patrons took turns swapping their favorite racing stories while taking photographs of the track facilities from every conceivable angle. Prior to the final race, fans lined the track fence to take pictures of the greyhounds and their lead-outs – giving them a thunderous applause – before they headed to the starting box for a final time. Patrons also were treated to the trackside presence of Husker Magic, Derby Lane’s all-time win leader who closed her career with 105 victories (104 at St. Petersburg) during a 167-race career from 2013-16. Handled by Derby Lane kennel operators Jim and Kayruth Abernathy, Husker Magic was a three-time All-America first-team member (2014-16), and 2015 Rural Rube champion as the nation’s top sprinter. For 4-1/2 hours, patrons stayed and played – focused on seeing the final race at Derby Lane. John Lashmet was one who remained until the end. A Derby Lane kennel owner and greyhound breeder from Eaton, Colo., Lashmet flew to Florida with wife Jill to see the track’s farewell performance. Joining them was daughter, Deidra, who took a plane from Houston. They were rewarded with a 1-2 finish in the Grand Finale Derby with their LK’s Santorini defeating kennelmate LK’s Trubulee by three lengths in 30.48 seconds – the fastest time among 119 greyhounds that raced during the afternoon on the 550-yard track. After participating in a lengthy and packed post-race winner’s circle ceremony on the track infield, John Lashmet walked across the racing strip toward the paddock area. Overcome with emotion, Lashmet needed time to himself before speaking to anyone. “I don’t know what to say,’’ he said, finally. “There will be no more (racing).’’ The championship by LK’s Santorini, her second career stakes title, wasn’t the only memory that Lashmet and his family took home. Less than 19 hours earlier on the Saturday evening performance, their LK’s Crush N It recorded his 93rd lifetime victory in his 153rd and final start. The 2019 All-America first-team selection and five-time stakes winner was arguably Derby Lane’s top 550-yard athlete in recent years. LK’s Crush N It, a son of LK’s Now R Never and LK’s All In, was the 2019 national win leader and a two-time Derby Lane meet win champion. “Not many of them run until they’re 4 (years old, his fourth birthday was last week),’’ John Lashmet said. LK’s Santorini, who started the year by winning the $18,000 1925 Inaugural on Jan. 4, also put the finishing touch on her first meet win crown. With 21 victories from 33 starts, she wound up six wins ahead of LK’s Crush N It and Deco Colt Gun of Nova kennel. A 44-month-old female from a litter by LK’s Vespar and LK’s Chardonnay, LK’s Santorini raised her overall win total to 68 from 147 starts. “It’s just an unbelievable ending to two great dogs - between Santorini and Crush N It,’’ Deacon said. “You couldn’t ask for more than that. (LK’s Santorini) is the win champion. . . . She picked up where (LK’s Crush N It) left off. She really came into her own in this final run.’’ For Deacon and the Lashmet kennel, the Grand Finale Derby represented their third consecutive stakes title and fifth in the track’s final seven stakes since Sept. 28, 2019. Another operation that had reason to celebrate was Watson Racing kennel, which claimed its first meet win championship with 260 victories from 1,971 starts. The July-to-December campaign featured 176 performances. Watson Racing finished three wins in front of former champion Lester Raines. Three-time winner Everett Racing was third among 14 kennels at 256 victories followed by Capabal with 243 and Abernathy at 232. Deacon and others in the industry will now begin other chapters in their respective lives. Deacon plans to return to a previous career in the Tampa Bay area as a captain for charters and commercial fishing. A kennel owner said he may accept employment in a golfing pro shop in the Florida Panhandle, while one trainer said she expects to move to Iowa without any employment plans. As patrons began to depart the premises, track announcer Jim Peake, a 25-year Derby Lane employee, provided poignant words in his final time at the microphone. “Good luck, good day, and good bye from St. Petersburg.’’ Previous Next