Grove City, OH – Trainer-driver Ronnie Gillespie couldn’t have asked for a better start for Big Ranger.
“He’s making a name for himself right now,” Gillespie said.
He certainly is. The 2-year-old In Range colt is two-for-two with wins in the $150,000 Next Generation on July 5 and the $50,000 first leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes on July 12, both at Eldorado Scioto Downs, giving him $100,000 in earnings.
“We purchased him at the Jug Sale for $25,000. He was easy to break but was a little laid back and on the lazy side, so I didn’t think much of him at first. But he started showing a lot of class, and the rest is history,” Gillespie said. “It wasn’t my intention to put him in the Next Generation. But it looks like it was the right move.”
Indeed it was. Big Ranger set a new stakes and track record in the Next Generation, winning in 1:54 to give Gillespie his second straight Next Gen victory in the 2-year-old colt trot division as trainer and driver.
“I had a real good idea that he was going to be good,” Gillespie said. “I knew he could do 55 pretty easy, but if I pushed him, I knew he could try 54. I thought I would have to try 54 or 53-and-change to win it, and he did that easy. He’s enjoying his work right now.”
With Gillespie back in the bike, Big Ranger is looking to stay perfect this season as MGM Northfield Park hosts three $50,000 divisions of the second leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes for freshman colt trotters on Wednesday (July 23).
Big Ranger is the early 8-5 favorite in the second division. That favored status is well earned, as the encore for his record-breaking performance in the Next Generation was posting the fastest time (1:54.4) among the four division winners in the opening leg of the OSS. Wednesday will be his first start at a track other than Scioto, but Gillespie believes the colt will fare well at Northfield.
“I think he’ll like Northfield because that track is banked, so I think that’ll help, and we’ve trained him on a half-mile track,” he said.
Gillespie’s biggest concern is getting off to a good start leaving from post four. After leaving from the desired rail position in the Next Generation, Big Ranger reacted differently when starting from post five in the first leg of the OSS. If the colt can overcome those pre-race jitters, Gillespie likes his chances of coming out on top.
“In his second start, he didn’t like going up between two horses. He was a little shaky about that, so we’re working with him and trying to get his mind OK with that,” Gillespie said. “If he goes behind the gate and makes the first turn with no problem, it’ll probably be over with. But I won’t push him. If he doesn’t make the front, that’ll be OK because he knows how to come from the back.”
Big Ranger isn’t the only one deserving of the spotlight, however, as Gillespie himself is approaching some impressive career milestones. Now in his 29th season as a driver, the 53-year-old resident of Macon, MS, entered Tuesday (July 22) with 993 wins and earnings of $4,670,310. The 1,000-win and $5 million benchmarks aren’t far off.
“Most of the top drivers drive more in a single year than I drive in two or three years, so for me to reach those milestones will mean a lot to me,” Gillespie said.
Gillespie also has 375 wins and over $2 million in earnings to his credit in 27 seasons as a trainer.
Among Big Ranger’s challengers in the eight-horse field in the second division is 2-1 second choice Ready Russell, who will leave from post three. The son of Ready For Moni won the fourth division in the opening leg of the OSS in 1:55 and is also two-for-two this season, adding a victory in 1:56.2 at Scioto on July 3. Dan Noble returns to the sulky for trainer Deborah Swartz after guiding Ready Russell to the OSS win on July 12.
In other OSS action on Wednesday, the third division features a matchup between first-leg winners Rose Run Banker (Chris Page) and Ur Ride Is Here (Brady Brown). Rose Run Banker is the even-money, morning line favorite and will leave from post five, while Ur Ride Is Here will leave from post seven as the 4-1 second choice.
There are no first-leg winners in the first division, which is headlined by even-money, morning line favorite Rose Run Boom (Brett Miller), who finished second to Rose Run Banker in the opening leg. Water Slide (Aaron Merriman), Bitcoin King (Tyler Smith) and Super Mind (Anthony MacDonald) share 6-1 odds as co-second choices in the division. In the first leg, Water Slide was the runner-up to Ur Ride Is Here while Bitcoin King posted a third-place finish in his division.
Wednesday’s OSS races are part of a 16-race card at MGM Northfield Park. The card also includes six $20,000 divisions of the second leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for freshman filly pacers. First-race post time is 6 p.m.