by Ayers Ratliff, for Northfield Park

Northfield,OH — With more than $2 million in purse being distributed over a 15-racecard, the richest night of racing in Northfield Park history is on tap Saturdaynight (September 3), featuring a series of $250,000 races which will decideeight Ohio Sires Stakes champions.

Two championsfrom last year – Miss Me Yet, now a 3-year-old pacing filly, and MJB Got Faith,a 3-year-old trotting colt – are back to defend their crowns.

Three ofSaturday’s participants – Type A Grey, a juvenile filly pacer, Buckeye Boss, ajuvenile trotting colt and Consolidator, a sophomore filly trotter – areputting perfect four-for-four Ohio Sires Stakes leg victories on the line.

Here is alook at the eight championship races:

Two-Year-OldFilly Trotters — The top eight point earners have all entered. Divisionleader Let’s Get Started, a winner of three of his four Ohio Sires legs, anddriver Josh Sutton will have to work out a trip after drawing the post eightoutside. Amuse’s, the other three-time winner among the juvenile filly trotfinalists, drew well and will start from the post three with driver PeterWrenn. The only time Amuse’s has lost in six starts is when she twice brokestride. Chim Swift, who defeated Let’s Get Started in the July 3 first leg ofthe OSS series at Northfield, will start from the post five with AaronMerriman.

Two-Year-OldFilly Pacers — Type A Grey, one of just three horses to navigate the OhioSires Stakes four qualifying legs undefeated, heads the freshman filly pacers.She and driver Chris Page enjoyed a good draw and will depart from the post two.Bye Bye Felicia, winner of her first three OSS starts before finishing third inthe final leg, drew post. The division was so deep that five leg winnersfailed to qualify for the final. Also missing will be Rosemary Rose, winner ofher first two OSS legs, but absent since then.

Two-Year-OldColt Trotters — Trainer Christopher Beaver has the numbers to dominate thisfinal as he sends out the division’s top three point-earners, including BuckeyeBoss who was a perfect four-for-four in the OSS qualifying legs. Beaver’s otherpupils; Fraser Ridge (three wins) and Always A Good Time (two wins) completehis triple threat. Buckeye Boss, perfect in six career starts, drew post five. Always A Good Thing and Fraser Ridge are directly to his inside, post positionthree and four, respectively.

Two-Year-OldColt Pacers — A trio of triple leg winners – Drunk On Your Love, Barnabas andRon’s Pro – should insure that this final is highly competitive. The pointleader is Drunk On Your Love who lost by a neck in the fourth leg to Ron’s Pro.The latter couldn’t overcome an eight-hole draw in the opening leg or he wouldbe OSS perfect. Barnabas, who dropped a photo in the third leg, has posted thefastest mile in the field, a 1:53.1 spin at Scioto Downs on Aug. 24.

Three-Year-OldFilly Trotters — Consolidator, perfect in four OSS qualifying legs and ownerof the division’s fastest mile (1:55.1), drew post position one in her bidfor the championship. A TC Queenie, winner of three legs, is Consolidator’smain rival. While they didn’t square off in the OSS series, A TC Queenie upsetConsolidator in the Ohio State Fair dash on July 29 at Scioto Downs. She willstart in post position two.

Three-Year-OldFilly Pacers — Miss Me Yet, the Ohio Sires Stakes champion as a freshman lastyear, seeks to complete a second half of the season comeback and has the railpost as a launching pad. The Brenda Teague-trainee was unplaced in the 2016 OSSopener, then skipped the second leg before posting victories in the third andfourth legs. Her main rival figures to be division point leader My Tweed Heart,a winner of three legs. She is on a three race winning streak and drew postthree.

Three-Year-OldColt Trotters — MJB Got Faith, the 2015 freshman colt trotting champion whoraces for 11-year-old Breana Carsey, will need to believe in the power ofovercoming a difficult post position after drawing the outside post eightstarting spot for the final. He has won his last three OSS qualifyinglegs, including a triumph from the an outside post at Scioto Downs on July 15.Overdressed, also a winner of three qualifying legs but plagued recently bybreaking issues, drew the post two.

Three-Year-OldColt Pacers — The Super Night finale appears the most evenly matched of theeight championship miles, with six of the eight entrants each having won twoqualifying legs. The participants’ credentials are so balanced that the topthree rated colts – Winwood Mac, Whataboy and Hustling Charley – all have 141points. Winwood Mac has drawn the rail post, while Hustling Charley has thethree slot and Whataboy starts from post position four. Failing to qualify forthe final were Love Tap Hanover, last year’s OSS champ at two, and PrimoGiovanni, voted Ohio’s 2-year-old colt pacer of 2015.

Inaddition to watching the very best of Ohio racing, Saturday’s patrons will beoffered a $10,000 guaranteed Pick-5 pool and a $20,000 Pick-4 guaranteedpool. The Pick-5 begins in the third race; the Pick-4 starts in raceeight.