Grove City, OH – After not racing as a 2-year-old in 2025, Global has gotten off to a wildly successful start this season.
“We got that horse in April (2025), and he didn’t train well, and we found he had cracked a splint bone that was already healing. So, we just turned him out and waited until last fall,” trainer Brian Brown said. “He struggled a little bit in the winter in the turns, but by the time we were ready to go race, he was getting everything worked out, and he’s turned into a nice little horse.”
In seven starts thus far, the Downbytheseaside colt has exceeded expectations with five wins and one second while banking $43,540.
“Until we got him trained down, our expectations weren’t all that high,” Brown said. “But his second qualifier was pretty good, and from then on, he has improved every time out.”
Owned by Diamond Creek Racing, Global was one of six winners in the opening leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for sophomore male pacers at Eldorado Scioto Downs on May 9. After leaving from the far outside, he led from the halfway mark on and won by half a length in 1:53.2 despite adverse conditions.
“It wasn’t the prettiest race, but considering he had the 9-hole on a windy, cool day, for him to get home like he did was pretty impressive,” Brown said.
In a display of his continual improvement, Global followed that win with a victory in a lifetime-best 1:50.3 in an overnight race at Scioto on May 28. He has won four consecutive races overall and enters the second leg of the BSS on Saturday (June 6) at Northfield Park Racino as the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the first of five $20,000 divisions for 3-year-old colt pacers. Dan Noble will be in the sulky, marking the fifth different driver Global has been paired with in as many races. David Miller, Austin Hanners, Chris Lems, and Cameron McCown have guided him to victory in his four prior starts, and Brown credits the horse for being adaptable.
“I have other horses who have different drivers, and they don’t do as well,” he said. “He lets the driver decide on what they’re doing, and he goes out and does it.”
Despite an unfavorable draw, Brown likes Global’s chances to make it five straight wins with five different drivers on Saturday against the likes of 3-1 second choice Stoke The Fire (Lems) and 4-1 third choice Thunder Jam (Brett Miller).
“I don’t like the 7-hole, but Danny Noble can make gate speed as good as anybody in the country, and I’m sure he’ll get him in a good spot getting out of there,” he said.
Second Division
Fired Up Henry L, a runner-up in the first leg of the BSS, opened as the 9-5 morning-line favorite. Driven by trainer Hank LeVan, the Catch The Fire gelding has hit the board in all four seasonal starts with two wins. He closed his freshman season with a record of 7-5-3 in 20 starts and has career earnings of $67,690. He will leave from post 4. At 4-1 on the morning line, Gypsy’s Brother (Tyler Smith) and Heerz Corinthian (B. Miller) are co-second choice and will leave from the rail and post 6, respectively.
Third Division
First-leg winner Touchedbythesea (Chris Page) is the 9-5 morning-line favorite and will leave from post 2 alongside 3-1 second choice Fire The Prez (Lems) at the rail. Trained by Ron Burke, Touchedbythesea is a Downbytheseaside gelding with two wins in four seasonal starts. Fire The Prez was the runner-up to Legends Rule in the opening leg. Legends Rule (B. Miller) is 12-1 on the morning line and will leave from post 7.
Fourth Division
Odds On Mister X (Page) will leave from the far outside as the 5-2 morning-line favorite. The Summa Cum Laude colt trained by Virgil Morgan Jr. has two wins in three starts this season after making just one start as a freshman. Ultimate Catch (Lems), the 3-1 second choice, will leave from post 6.
Fifth Division
The Ebony Dragon (Luke Hanners) is the 9-5 morning-line favorite and will leave from post 2. A runner-up in first leg of the BSS, the Fear The Dragon colt has a 1-1-1 record in eight seasonal starts. The Tyler Bates trainee racked up 12 wins and banked $67,422 in 17 starts as a freshman. Rock On Beach (Sam Widger) is the 3-1 second choice and will leave from post 6.
Saturday’s 16-race card at Northfield Park is highlighted by the $250,000 Battle of Lake Erie and $100,000 Buckeye Distaff and will also feature Charity Night presented by the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association and five $20,000 divisions of the second leg of the BSS for sophomore male trotters. First-race post time is 6 p.m. (EDT).