Grove City, OH — The Buckeye State’s county fair season came to a close on Saturday (Oct. 11) with $50,000 Ohio Fairs Championships at MGM Northfield Park. Driver Aaron Merriman won two of the four divisions of pacers, guiding Racing Artist and Downbytheparade to victory.
Leaving from the far outside post position in the eight-horse field, Racing Artist won the freshman filly pace championship in a lifetime-best 1:55.2. Shes So Fast (Dan Noble) led the field past the first two calls in :26.4 and :56 as Racing Artist moved first over and worked her way up from fifth place at the quarter pole to take the lead at the three-quarter mark in 1:24.3. Racing Artist held off a late-charging Ill Be Home First (Justin Irvine) to win by half a length. Shes So Fast was third. Trained by Bill Webb, who co-owns the horse with Denny Miller, Racing Artist has hit the board in all 13 seasonal starts with eight victories. The Racing Hill filly increased her earnings to $57,320.
“I think she’s going to be happy for a break, especially after that drive,” Merriman said of Racing Artist following the win. “I really raced her hard, but this is probably her last start of the year. We had a horse coming at me in the stretch that had a lot of pace, but she held on.”
Merriman was also the winning driver in the sophomore colt pace championship, guiding Downbytheparade to victory in a lifetime-best 1:55.4.
After leaving from the rail, the Downbytheseaside gelding sat in third place as Catch The Express (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) led the field at the first two calls in :28.2 and :57.3. Believe In Tom (Marc St. Louis Jr.) took the lead going to the 1:26.1 three-quarters, and Downbytheparade moved into second place on the outside entering the final stretch. With Eddie Nine Toes (Hank LeVan) challenging on the inside, Downbytheparade remained on the outside and edged Believe In Tom by half a length at the line as all three horses crossed the line in 1:55.4. Downbytheparade picked up his sixth win of the season.
“I drove him a couple time as a 2-year-old and have had some success with him,” Merriman said. “The horse has always been really nice for me.”
Trained by Herman Hagerman for owner David Beachy, Downbytheparade has 23 lifetime wins with earnings of $173,196.
The freshman colt pace championship went to Zumma World (Wrenn Jr.), who used a late surge to win in a lifetime-best 1:55.3 after sitting in sixth place at the quarter pole. Worknupalather (Nick Clegg) took the lead off the gate and was in front past the first three calls in :27.3, :57.3, and 1:26.3. Zumma World was second over past the halfway mark and made it three wide at the front of the field going to the three-quarter pole. The Summa Cum Laude gelding was in front by three lengths entering the final stretch en route to winning by one and a quarter lengths over Theetown Mailman (Merriman) with Tsunami King (Austin Hanners) in third. Trained by Jeff Nisonger for owners Kathy Gorby, Nisonger Stable, Benson Roth, and Myron Koester, Zumma World has hit the board in 14 of 16 seasonal starts with 12 wins and $67,113 in earnings.
“I spoke to Jeff (Nisonger) earlier today, and he said the horse had one really good move, so I was able to save the horse as long as I could, and he responded well,” Wrenn Jr. said after the win.
Pink Jammies (Noble) won the sophomore filly pace championship in wire-to-wire fashion, edging Maddie’s Delite (Wrenn Jr.) by a neck at the line in a lifetime-best 1:55. The Fear The Dragon filly posted fractions of :27.3, :56.3, and 1:25.2 and entered the final stretch with a one-length lead en route to the victory. Trailing by over five lengths at the three-quarter pole, Maddie’s Delite showed late speed to rally from eighth place to take second with Kyleekash (Josiah Miller), a 121-1 longshot, in third. It was the eighth win of the season for Pink Jammies, who has 17 career victories with earnings of $161,529. She is trained by Rosy Weaver, who co-owns the horse with Heartland Acres.