The Ohio stakes season kicked into high gear at Miami Valley Raceway on Friday night (April 29) as Queen Ann M (Chris Page) captured the $35,000 championship leg of the James K. Hackett Memorial for Buckeye-bred harness racing sophomore pacing fillies. The daughter of Big Bad John, who earned over $100,000 as a freshman, scored gate-to-wire in 1:54.1 for owner Alan Keith and trainer Mike Roth. In just her second seasonal start, Queen Ann M held off fast-closing She Gone (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) by a head, while favored My Tweed Heart (Josh Sutton) was a game third, beaten one-half length, following a first-over journey.
Eight of the nine Hackett filly finalists finished within four lengths of each other, an indication that the summer-long Ohio Sires Stakes series in this division could be a donnybrook from start to finish. The first leg of the OSS for 3-year-old fillies, both pacers and trotters, will be hosted by Miami Valley next Friday (May 6) in multiple $40,000 divisions.
Kerfuffle Cookie (Chris Page) established a new sophomore trotting filly track record when she blew past a field of older trotters to score a 1:57.1 victory in a $10,000 conditioned trot. The Chip Chip Hooray lass, co-owned by trainer Chris Beaver with Synerco Ventures Inc., will be among the favorites in the squaregaiter splits next Friday.
A $20,000 Open Fillies & Mares Pace was also contested with a 1:52.1 photo finish as the result. Favored American Girl (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) notched her sixth win in 13 starts since the calendar turned to 2016. The 7-year-old Art's Chip mare proved a scant neck better than Igottafeelinfran (Kayne Kauffman) with Addy's Way (Dan Noble) not far behind in third. Darla Gaskin and Stanley Rosenblatt share ownership of the winner, who is conditioned by Tyler George.
The Saturday (April 30) card at Miami Valley features the $35,000 championship of the James K. Hackett Memorial for Ohio-sired 3-year-old colts and a $20,000 Open I Pace. Post time is 6:05 p.m.
Gregg Keidel