Columbus, OH – Sophomores Big Ranger and Seaside Shuffle repeated their freshman success during Ohio Super Night on Saturday (Sept. 12) at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
Scioto hosted eight $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championship finals on Saturday, with 3-year-old trotting colt Big Ranger and 3-year-old pacing filly Seaside Shuffle each adding a second title to their respective resumes. Sophomore trotting filly Mooter Tooter and 3-year-old male pacer Tsunami Seas also prevailed in their divisional finals.
On the tote board he was 1-9, and Big Ranger was 1-9 the best in the $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championship for 3-year-old colt trotters. Leaving from the outside post nine for driver Tim Tetrick, Big Ranger floated away and patiently stalked Tom Largo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) through a :27.4 opening quarter. Landing on the lead around the three-eighths mark, Big Ranger faced nary an anxious moment through middle fractions of :55.1 and 1:23.3 before opening up on his eight rivals. Closing in :28 with little movement from his driver, Big Ranger hit the wire in 1:51.3 nearly four lengths better than Tom Largo. Special Moni (Aaron Merriman) rounded out the top trio.
“He’s cool,” Tetrick told Jessica Otten as part of the America’s Day at the Races broadcast on Fox Sports 2. “He’s got so much athletic ability and he’s so easy on himself. He’s great gaited. I just don’t fall off, hit the gate or anything like that and he takes care of the rest.”
Making his first appearance since his thrilling second-place finish in the 2026 Hambletonian, Big Ranger now boasts a 13-1-0 summary from his 16 lifetime starts with $922,947 in earnings for owner Madison Global. The son of In Range-Big Blue Bird was a $25,000 Ohio Select yearling, bred by Spring Haven Farm of Utica, Ohio.
According to trainer Anette Lorentzon, Big Ranger’s next start could be in stakes action at the Delaware County Fairgrounds but that’s yet to be determined.
As the 1-9 choice, the defending divisional champion paid $2.10 to win.
Seaside Shuffle didn’t look like a back-to-back Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet champion at the head of the lane in the $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championship for 3-year-old filly pacers, but driver Chris Page found room up the pylons and the daughter of Downbytheseaside-Hula Shuffle closed with authority to pick off Vanna By The River (Aaron Merriman) in a lifetime best 1:50.4 effort. Vanna By The River was a half length back in second with Rhodena Blue (Trevor Smith) edging out Sassy By The Sea (Tyler Smith) for the show spot.
“Last week she raced very good, so I knew we were coming into the race in good form,” said Page after the victory. “Luckily I had room down the passing lane and, like I said, we prepped her for tonight. She was very good last week, won in the handholds, so it’s kind of cool when a plan comes together.”
A $115,000 Lexington Selected yearling bred by Billy Walters and Joe McLead of Delaware, Ohio, Seaside Shuffle is trained by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc. and R A S Racing LLC. With the victory, her seventh in 26 career starts, Seaside Shuffle now boasts a bankroll of $665,992 in earnings. As the 4-1 third choice, she paid $10 to win.
After racing in New York earlier in the day, drivers Yannick Gingras and Dexter Dunn rolled into Scioto just ahead of the evening’s ninth race, the $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championship for 3-year-old filly trotters.
And it took a photo to decide the winner of that race, with Mooter Tooter (Gingras) getting up in the final strides to defeat Setyoursightshigh (Dunn) in a 1:53.3 mile.
Chip Shot (Ronnie Wrenn) cleared to the lead after a :27.4 opening quarter, and then doled out middle panels of :57 and 1:24.4 with Godusa (David Miller) pressuring first up. Favoured Setyoursightshigh sat second over, with Mooter Tooter third over in the final 400 yards. Dunn angled Setyoursightshigh into the three path around the far turn, with Gingras fanning Mooter Tooter four-wide to set up a wild five-across finish. Chip Shot couldn’t hold off the backfield, as Mooter Tooter and Setyoursightshigh closed aggressively and hit the wire nearly in unison. The photo revealed Mooter Tooter as the winner, by a head to earn a new lifetime mark.
“A little delay with the weather, we had to go around some storms,” said Gingras in reference to his later-than-planned arrival. “Thankfully for the judges and management here they were working with us on waiting a few extra minutes to get here. It’s very much appreciated.
“Early on in the race I kind of liked my spot but that second quarter, we were going so slow. I pulled right away to get the flow moving a little bit. I thought I was following two of the best fillies but sometimes with slow fractions, somebody gets away on the lead. She came home real strong.”
A $28,000 Ohio Select yearling bred by Wayne Weaver of Fredericksburg, Ohio, Mooter Tooter (Long Tom-Moots) is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., Beasty LLC and R A S Racing LLC. After going winless at 2, she’s now a 5-time winner as a sophomore with $281,575 in lifetime earnings.
Sent off at 12-1, she paid $26.80 to win.
Tsunami Seas closed out the Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championships on Saturday night with a determined effort in the $300,000 final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Starting from the rail, driver David Miller left enough to forwardly position 4-5 favourite Tsunami Seas in third as Prolific Blend (Austin Hanners) made the first call in :27. Miller moved Tsunami Seas to the outside after that opening quarter, cleared to the front before a :54.1 half and then kept the tempo honest through the 1:21.1 third station. Hanners angled Prolific Blend from the pocket in the stretch, but Tsunami Seas stormed home in :28.2 for the 1:49.3 score. Prolific Blend finished a length back in second with When Is Parade (Wrenn) at the bottom of the trifecta ticket.
“He really is versatile,” Miller told Jessica Otten. “We know we put him here on the front a lot because he’s the best. Tonight, he came into this race very sharp and I wasn’t too too worried about fractions or anything.
“He dug right in when Austin moved on him. I felt pretty confident down by the wire that he wasn’t going to get by.”
A son of Downbytheseaside-Foxy Rigger bred by Country Club Acres Inc. and L And H Management Services of Findlay, Ohio, Tsunami Seas sold for $80,000 at the 2024 Ohio Selected sale. He’s now a 7-time winner with $280,707 in earnings for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. and owners Jeffrey Rector, Larry Wills and Hutchison Harness LLC.
As the favourite in the 8-horse field, Tsunami Seas paid $3.80 to win.
The 91-day 2026 Eldorado Scioto Downs regular season is coming to a close, running through Saturday, September 19. Races will be held next week Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday; there is no live racing on Friday (September 18) to accommodate horsemen attending the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale. The track will then re-open for the Breeders Crown, with eliminations held October 16-17 and the finals October 23-24. More information about all the racing action at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.