Sixty-eight 2-year-old Ohio-bred harness racing pacing and trotting fillies are set to wage war on Saturday night at Scioto Downs in the second leg of Ohio Sires Stakes (OSS) competition. Of the 68 distaffs that passed the entry box, 38 are of the pacing gait and 30 are diagonally-gaited Standardbreds, all of whom will vie for a $40,000 purse in each of the seven divisions. Post time is 6:30 pm, ET for the first race.
Four OSS Pacing Divisions
Miss Me Yet looks to be a definitive choice in the first (Race 1) of four OSS divisions for pacers. The daughter of I'm Gorgeous-Live Inspired-Western Hanover is an all-around family filly, as she was bred by Fannin Racing and George Teague, Jr., of Harrington, DE and is co-owned by Teague. George's sister Brenda trains the filly, and his son Montrell, drives her.
Miss Me Yet finished third in the first leg of OSS action on July 3 at Northfield Park, when she was timed in 1:57.2. However, she won her qualifying debut on June 23 at Harrah's Philadelphia in 1:56.2 and again in a qualifying test at this same venue on July 14 in 1:57. She leaves from post five against eight rivals.
John's Jessi Bird brings a trio of solid Ohio Fair Stake (OFS) tries into her first OSS test for trainer Pierce Henry, who co-owns the filly with James Heiing of Ottawa, OH. The daughter of Big Bad John won her career debut at Paulding on June 9, was second at Ottawa on June 23 and was third at London in OFS competition on July 12. She hails from post two with Ryan Stahl at the lines. She was bred by Ada M Jacobs of Gambier, OH.
The second OSS division (Race 5) of pacing fillies finds three daughters of Ohio stallion and Little Brown Jug winner Big Bad John squaring off. John's Sunny Girl, Big Bad Bretta and Big Bad Ashley all captured their respective OSS divisions on July 3 at Northfield Park.
Doug Hinklin trains John's Sunny Girl, who won her OSS leg a blistering, gate-to-wire effort in 1:55.4 with Greg Grismore in the sulky for owners Parent Racing Stable LLC of Holland, OH. Bred by Midland Acres, John's Sunny Girl starts from post two with Grismore aboard.
Also bred by Midland Acres, Big Bad Bretta, a Steve Carter trainee, won her OSS leg in 1:57 for Ohio owners CE Grubbs, RB Reid, SR Hummel and JM Beard. She'll start from post two with Chris Page up.
Jim Arledge, Jr., harnesses Big Bad Ashley, who scored in 1:56 with Dan Noble in the sulky. Bred by Ohio's Winchester Baye Acres, Inc., won her OSS first leg in 1:56 after winning an OFS on June 21 at Circleville by 7½ lengths.
Awakening headlines the third division (Race 7) of OSS freshman fillies. Trained by Mike Polhamus and owned and bred by Marjorie Polhamus of Fletcher, OH, this daughter of Feelin Friskie-Sidewalk Sleeper-Jate Lobell romped to a 1:57 wire-to-wire victory at Northfield on July 3 in the first leg of this series. Awakening also has a pair of OFS victories on her resume, having won at Paulding on June 9 and at Ottawa on July 23. Regular driver Kayne Kauffman will be in the sulky from post seven for this winner of $23,076 lifetime.
Queen Ann M, who was bred by Jay Mossbarger of Bloomington, OH, starts from post nine for driver Chris Page and trainer Mike Roth. This daughter of Big Bad John-Full Fledged-Grinfromeartoear stopped the clock in 1:56.4 in a come-from-behind effort with Page at the lines on July 3 at Northfield in OSS leg one. Alan Keith of Pataskala, OH owns the speedy bay filly.
The fourth and final division (Race 11) for pacing fillies will see first leg winner My Tweed Heart leave from the rail with Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., in the sulky for trainer Jim Dailey. This daughter of Manhardt-Tweedle D-Towner's Big Guy captured her first OSS leg handily in 1:59.1 at Northfield on July 3. Owned by Carl Atley of Xenia, OH, My Tweed Heart was bred by Stanley Swango, III of Florida.
Challenger NPR Nine will have Aaron Merriman in the sulky from post three. This daughter of Big Bad John-Illegally Parked-Nobleland Sam was third to Big Bad Asheley in the first leg of this series, clocked in 1:56.3 for this same driver. She then scored a solid victory on July 16 in a Scioto Downs maiden, in 1:56.4. Ran Russo of Westerville, OH owns and bred NPR Nine, who has $8,800 in career earnings.
Three OSS Trotting Divisions
Trainer Chris Beaver sends out a formidable pair of fillies in the first division (Race 2) for OSS trotters. Both Kestrel (Triumphant Caviar-Blackrock-Credit Winner) and Evanora (Pilgrim's Taj-Nessa Rose-Chip Chip Hooray) come off solid victories in leg one of this series at Northfield Park on July 3. Kestrel scored a 1:59 front-stepping clocking with Aaron Merriman in the sulky to record her first career win, while Evanora used similar tactics for this same driver, timed in 2:01. Evanora, who is owned and was bred by Sandra Burnett of Wilmington, OH, has the rail and Ken Holiday in the sulky for this event, while Kestrel will get Merriman in the bike from post eight for breeder and co-owner Wilbur Lang of Jamestown, OH and Beaver, of Delaware, OH.
Count On Kami, from post ten with Kurt Sugg up, will be trying for career victory number one. Harnessed by Marty Wollam, this daughter of Full Count-Joys Second Call-Call Toll Free was second in her OSS debut at Northfield on July 3, timed in 1:58.4. She was bred by David Vannatta of Mt. Vernon, OH and is co-owned by Vannatta and Wollam, of Vienna, OH and Acadia Farms Inc., of Canfield, OH.
Kerfuffle Cookie, another Beaver trainee, looks to be the solid choice in the second division (Race 3) of OSS trotting fillies. This daughter of Chip Chip Hooray-Minor Skirmish-Conway Hall romped in a wire-to-wire triumph on July 3 at Northfield Park in 2:00.1 unchallenged for these same connections. Owned by the Synerco Ventures, Inc. of Toronto, Canada, Kerfuffle Cookie was bred by the LMN Bred Stables, Inc., of Ohio. Aaron Merriman will steer from post one against nine foes.
If she can mind her manners, Shut Up And Dance will be Kerfuffle Cookie's main threat from post six. The Dirk Simpson-trainee posted a 1:58 solid, wire-to-wire effort in the first OSS leg at Northfield on July 3, drawing off by four lengths. However, she could not stay on gait in either of her previous or last efforts prior to that OSS win. Owned by James Bafia of Minooka, IL, the daughter of Triumphant Caviar-Passport To Love-Yankee Glide was bred by steve Stewart & Kemppi Stable of Kentucky.
The third and final division (Race 9) of trotting distaffs features a slightly more open group of ten than the previous two groups. Still Sizzling, who is trained, driven and co-owned by Dale Decker, along with Douglas Vandergrift of Lambertsville, MI, is the only filly in the field to have captured the first leg of this OSS series at Northfield on July 3. The daughter of Trainforthefuture-Spotty Too Hotty-Lindy Lane romped led from every post to nail down her win in 1:59.4 as the public's choice. Bred by Florence J. Wallace of Ohio, Still Sizzling will have her trainer back in the sulky from post seven.
Leavinonajettrain failed to nail a check in her OSS debut at Northfield on July 3, but since has posted a 2:03.2 clocking in a runaway effort in a Meadow's qualifier on July 16. Driven by Mike Wilder, the daughter of Trainforthefuture-Loire-Daguet Rapids won that effort by 18¼ lengths for trainer Ronnie Burke-who co-owns her along with partners Weaver Bruscemi of Cannonsburg, PA, Jason Melilo of Powell, OH and Phillip Collura of Mountain Township, PA. Chris Page will drive Leavinonajettrain-who was bred by Ohioans Steve Bateson and Jeff Shafer-from post three.
The third leg of this Ohio Sires Stakes for freshman pacing and trotting fillies will commence on August 21 at Northfield Park.
Kimberly A. Rinker