Grove City, OH — The Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association is set to honor its stellar 2- and 3-year-old’s from 2018 at the Marriot Columbus on Saturday, January 19.

The OHHA 2-year-old pacing colt of 2018 is High On Paydaze. Accordingly Ohio’s leading trainer of 2018 Brian Brown conditions the winner who has amassed $220,700 by virtue of his five wins in his seven-lifetime starts. While Beau Brown and Chris Page shared the driving duties, his lifetime mark of 1:53.1 was taken in July with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. Harness Racing Hall of Famer, David Miller, took the $275,000 Ohio Sire Stakes finale with the slick-gaited colt over an “off track” in 1:53.2 on a cool September night at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

High On Paydaze is Ohio’s Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year. Conrad Photo.

Bred by Scott Hagemeyer of Hagemeyer Farms in Clarksville and owned by Hagemeyer along with his two longtime partners Robert Mondillo of Delaware and Donald Robinson of Cardington. The colt is an offspring of their stakes-winning stallion Nob Hill High (by McArdle) and Hagemeyer’s The Panderosa mare Myell.

Queen Of The Pride is Ohio’s Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer of the Year. Conrad Photo

Queen Of The Pride, a two-year-old pacing filly by McArdle-Lioness Hanover by Western Ideal was foaled and raised at Bradley Wallace and R. Kevin Greenfield’s Hickory Lane Farm in Findlay, Ohio. She was purchased at the Ohio Select Sale in September 2017 at Johnstown, Ohio by Frank Chick for $62,000. Chick turned over the filly’s conditioning to fellow Harrington native trainer Kevin Lare. Ohio’s highest two-year-old money earner would post $353,594 for the season including a victory in the $275,000 Ohio Sire Stakes. She would take her lifetime mark of 1:52.4 at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Driven primarily by Pennsylvania teamster Tony Hall in her 5 wins, 11 times on the board in 14 appearances, David Miller handled some of the driving duties as well. In Lexington, KY the quick closing lass came home in :26.4 as she was second to Warrawee Ubeaut in the International Stallion Stakes.  The race had a world-record 1:48.3 and she paced her own mile in 1:49.1.  She was also a strong second on the Grand Circuit stage in The Matron at Dover Downs. 

Lane Of Stone secured Ohio’s Two-Year-Old Colt Trotting division. Conrad Photo

It was at Billy Walters and Joe McLead’s Sugar Valley Farms in Delaware, Ohio that the cross of Wishing Stone – Wisteria Lane produced 2018’s two-year-old colt trotting champion Lane Of Stone for 81-year-old owner/breeder Harry Horowitz and his wife Iris of Brooklyn, NY. Foaled in Clarksville, Ohio the seasonal winner of $144,893 would be put through his schooling by trainer/driver Mark Winters Sr. from Sabina, Ohio and sport a record of six wins and two seconds for his eight lifetime starts. Jeff Nisonger of Lebanon, Ohio, a winner of over 3,200 career driving wins since he began driving in 1997, deftly handled the youngster in all but one of his starts. Winters Sr. was the pilot in the first winning effort in June. He trotted to his lifetime tab of 1:58.2 at Eldorado Scioto Downs in July.

Only Take Cash is Ohio’s Two-Year-Old Filly Trotter of the Year. Conrad Photo

A partnership that began in the early 1990s has given us numerous champions and, as they say in radio, “the hits just keep on coming.” OHHA’s 2018 2-year-old trotting filly of the year is Only Take Cash (Cash Hall-Armbro Affair) who captured eight of her nine seasonal starts (and was 2nd in the other) and put $272,140 on her card for her freshman year. Bred by seven-time O’Brien Award-winning Canadian trainer-of-the-year Bob McIntosh and the CSX Stables of West Liberty, Ohio (Keith, Kenneth, Michael Carpenter & John Strock) she is owned by Canadians Robert McIntosh Stables Inc., David Boyle, and Mardon Stables and trained by McIntosh.

Aaron Merriman, North America’s leading dash driver three years-in-a-row, is her regular chauffeur in Ohio.

These fine two-year-olds, along with their three-year-old old counterparts and the aged pacer and trotter, will be honored at the OHHA Awards Banquet which will be held January 19th, 2019 at:

Marriot Columbus University Area
3100 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, OH 43202

Tickets are $30 each and must be reserved by January 4th. Click here for the reservation form or call into the OHHA office at 614-221-3650. It is a fun-filled meet and greet event for everyone’s favorites and the Ohio 2018 Horse of the Year will be announced at the banquet. Plan to attend!