Lightning Onmyfeet was just that on Tuesday afternoon at Miami Valley Raceway, as he scored the fastest of seven $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for harness racing 3-year-old colts and geldings, pacing to victory in 1:53.1 for driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.
"This colt sustained an injury as a 2-year-old," said Brown. "But he's got a world of talent and just continues to get stronger with each start."
Lightning Onmyfeet, a compact dark bay with a huge stride, upped his career earnings to $29,450 for his connections in his third lifetime victory from five starts. Parked out briefly to the :56.2 half, Lightning Onmyfeet then drew off from his rivals before sweeping under the wire a length and a half in front of McLucky (Aaron Merriman), while Big Bad Bruce (Chris Page) was 7¼ lengths back in third.
Brown also harnessed Hackett winner McRaven, another son of McArdle, to win the first OSS pacing division in 1:54.2 with Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. driving. Owned by Country Club Acres and L&H Management Services of Findlay, OH, it was the second straight victory for McRaven and the fourth of his career in five starts.
Bred by the Parent Racing Stable, McRaven pushed his lifetime earnings to $81,500 as he defeated stablemate White Jet (Chris Page) by half a length, and third-place finisher Pace Car (Wilder) by three-quarters of a length with his wire-to-wire score.
Trainer Chris Beaver had a pair of OSS winners as well; the trotting colt Fraser Ridge and the pacing gelding Heracer. Fraser Ridge, a son of Triumphant Caviar, won the first OSS test for trotters with a gutsy whisker victory over Goldfinger (Ryan Stahl) in 1:56.2. Bred by Steve Stewart and owned by the Ohio trio of D. Robinson, R. Mondillo, Beaver and RBH Ventures of New York, NY, the leggy sophomore now has career earnings of $138,031 after winning his 2017 debut with Aaron Merriman in the sulky.
Merriman then steered the winning Art Official gelding Heracer to capture the fourth $40,000 OSS division for pacers in 1:54.1. Owned by Beaver, Synerco Ventures, Ontario; J. S. Burnett, OH; and T. S. Homan, OH, Heracer held off McThriller (Chris Page) in the stretch, prevailing by a head at the wire, with longshot Sunny's Bro (Greg Grismore) getting up for third. Bred by Michael Parisi, Heracer now has $46,589 in career earnings.
Full Surge is a bay son of Full Count, making his ninth lifetime start for the Ohio quartet of trainer Wollam, AN Fusco, RR Wollam, and RR Roll. A mild 13-1 longshot, Full Surge won by a neck over Dekeyser (Aaron Merriman) with Stormy Kromer (Peter Wrenn) nearly four lengths back in third. Bred by Mahlon Miller, Full Surge upped his career bankroll to $63,501.