Bittersweet Ellis meet for trainer Dan Peitz

Dan Peitz enjoyed a terrific summer meet at Ellis Park by winning with six of his 13 starters, including winning a race a day Aug. 3-5. His $3.25 ROI (on a $2 wager) leads all trainers with at least 10 starts.

“Everything came together,” said Peitz, who has trained since 1987. “The races stayed on the grass, the horses got in, we got some great trips, and we won a photo or two. The racing gods were shining down on us.”

Peitz, 61, has been pulling extra duty at his Churchill barn in the absence of his longtime assistant Jock McNeil, who is recovering from major surgery after being diagnosed with oral cancer.

“It’s been a tough run for Jock,” said Peitz. “Hopefully he’ll be back when we run some of these horses back at the September meet [at Churchill].”

Three more Ellis cards

An eight-race Friday card that starts at 12:50 p.m. Central will kick off the final three-day stretch of the Ellis meet, with two allowances (races 3 and 4) serving as co-features. The track will be dark Saturday to accommodate the Kentucky Downs opener. Monday is closing day at the Ellis meet, which began July 1.

Action will begin Friday with Corey Lanerie leading the jockey standings with 27 wins in search of his third straight Ellis riding title. Brad Cox tops all trainers with 20 wins.