Leg one of the lucrative Ohio Sires Stakes (OSS) program featured eight divisions of the Buckeye State's top-bred, harness racing 3-year-old trotting and pacing fillies doing battle Friday night (May 6) at Miami Valley Raceway.
A total of 67 distaffs went postward–in a trio of trotting contests and five pacing events–each vying for a purse of $40,000 each.
One of the highlights of the evening's 14-race card came when the Carlo's family homebred pacing filly, Clarebear, captured the first OSS division in a lifetime best of 1:54.3. Owned by C2G Stable and AJ Carlo, and conditioned by AJ, the daughter of World Of Rocknroll was making just her fourth career start and pushed her career earnings to $25,450 with the victory, the second of her brief career. Peter Wrenn steered the filly, who was unraced as a 2-year-old.
"She cracked a coffin bone at two and we gave her the time she needed," AJ Carlo explained of the filly, who was named after his aunt–Helen Carlo's daughter.
"It's a great feeling to win an Ohio Sires Stakes," Helen admitted. "Most of our family has always worked on the management side of racing, but ever since he was a kid, AJ wanted to be with the horses. It's a great thing to see him get have a really nice horse at this stage of his career."
Clarebare stalked the leader, longshot Ufpfortydevensgirl (Jeremy Smith) through fractions of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:24, then overtook her rival with a strong brush to be four lengths on top at the wire. Ufpfortydevensgirl held on for second, while Feelin Red Hot (Kayne Kauffman) got up for third.
The second OSS pacing division saw She Gone and driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. use near gate-to-wire tactics to score in 1:55.1, a new lifetime mark for the daughter of Feelin Friskie-Semaj Hanover-Cam's Card Shark. Brian Brown conditions She Gone, who notched her seventh lifetime triumph in 15 starts, pushing her career earnings to $55,160.
"She's getting better each start," Wrenn, Jr. revealed. "Last week she was running in on me a little bit, but Brian did a great job of getting her straightened out for this start and it paid off tonight."
Big Bad Ashley (Chris Page) finished second but was disqualified by the stewards and placed seventh for interference, moving JLWonder Woman (Kayne Kauffman) up to second and Miracle Matty (Kurt Sugg) up to third.
My Tweed Heart took advantage of a perfect steer by Josh Sutton to score her sixth lifetime victory in 1:54.4 in the third OSS pacing division. The daughter of Manhardt–who won a pair of OSS legs at Northfield Park in 2016–is conditioned by Jim Dailey for Carl and Melanie Atley of Xenia, OH. My Tweed Heart upped her career earnings to $165,202 and her seasonal earnings to $32,950.
Ohsowigglesspecial used a bold, come-from-behind move to win the fourth OSS pacing division in 1:54.4 for driver Dan Noble. The daughter of Mr Wiggles–So-ho-special is conditioned by Joe Paver and was bred by owners Pearl Warren, and Joe and Dennis Paver. The hardy brown filly held off late challenges by Save My Tootsie (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.) and Tiger's Sue (Peter Wrenn) to notch her 13th career victory, pushing her career earnings to $55,460 and her seasonal earnings to $28,125.
The fifth and final OSS division for 3-year-old Ohio-bred pacing fillies saw It's Your Fantasy and driver Dan Noble put forth a neck victory over rival Naked By Nine (Jeremy Smith) in a lifetime best 1:54.4.. Trained by Brian Brown for the Winchestester Baye Acers, LLC of Powell, Ohio, the daughter of Big Bad John garnered her third win in 14 trips postward and pushed her career earnings to $56,705.
To no one's surprise, Consolidator captured the first OSS trotting division easily in her seasonal debut, clocked in 1:57.4. Deftly handled by Chris Page, Consolidator led at every quarter, holding off her rivals by 2½ lengths at the wire. The fractious filly pushed her career earnings to $97,616 with the win, her third lifetime in six starts. Trained by Jim Arledge, Jr. for the Green Acquisition Corp. of Canfield, OH, the daughter of Triumphant Caviar, out of the Muscles Yankee mare Muscle Toy was bred by Rose Run Farm.
Kerfuffle Cookie trotted to an easy, 1:58.1 victory in the second OSS division with Chris Page driving for trainer Chris Beaver. The daughter of Chip Chip Hooray now has $100,170 in her coffers and notched her second straight victory this season in as many tries. After riding the rail throughout most of the race she stepped on the gas in the final strides to win by a length over Hoorah Hoorah (Aaron Merriman). A Tc Queenie (Dan Noble) got up for third.
Kandy Krisp and driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. used the rail to their advantage in the third OSS division, taking that division in 1:58.4 for owners John Stafford of Warren, OH and Tucker A. Baumiller of Boardman, OH. The tall-stepping daughter of
Rompaway Wally stalked the leaders before pouncing in the stretch and drawing off by two lengths. Her career earnings now stand at $35,456.
Ohio Sires Stakes continue Saturday night, May 7, with a post time of 7:05 pm, ET, and features 3-year-old trotting and pacing colts and geldings.