by Kimberly Rinker, Administrator, Ohio Standardbred Development Fund

Columbus, OH — A trio of $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for sophomore trotting fillies will be contested Friday night (July 1) at Scioto Downs. A total of 26 Ohio-bred, diagonally-gaited distaffs are set to battle in races two, three and 11 on the 13-race program, with a first race post time of 6:30 p.m.

In the first division (race two) OSS leg one winner Kerfuffle Cookie goes head to head with rival and leg two winner A TC Queenie. The former — a Chris Beaver trainee — is looking for redemption against the latter, having finished second to A TC Queenie in the May 29 OSS contest at Northfield Park. A TC Queenie stopped the timer in 1:58.3 with Danny Noble driving for trainer Ron Steck that night, notching her fourth career win and upping her career earnings to $56,241 for owners Trish Soulsby and Rick Schaut. The daughter of Triumphant Caviar-American Queen was bred by Danny Collins.

Kerfuffle Cookie is co-owned by Beaver along with Synerco Ventures Inc. and is a winner of four of five starts this season and $42,100 in earnings. Bred by Lmn Bred Stables, Inc., the daughter of Chip Chip Hooray-Minor Skirmish earned $75,170 as a freshman, with three wins in eight starts last year. She won her 2016 debut on April 29 at Miami Valley Raceway, before capturing leg one of OSS competition in 1:58 at that same oval on May 6.

These two fillies will face off against six rivals, including the Marty Wollam-trained Oneeyedmomma, a winner of $69,856 lifetime for owner-breeder Bob Troyer, and Up Front Racing’s Hoorah Hoorah, a daughter of Chip Chip Hooray who’s amassed $43,773 lifetime.

Count On Kami headlines OSS division two (race three) against eight rivals for the aforementioned conditioner Marty Wollam. Ohio’s trotting maestro co-owns the homebred daughter of Full Count along with David Vannatta and Acadia Farms. A winner of $195,541 in her career, Count On Kami will be trying for her fourth straight triumph in this OSS test, having plowed through the Northfield Park conditioned ranks of late, taking a mark of 1:57.2 on June 22 handily. The robust filly and driver Kurt Sugg captured the 2-year-old championship last season on Super Night at Scioto Downs for these same connections.

If she can mind her manners, Shut Up And Dance could give Count On Kami a run for her money in this same race. Hugh Beatty trains and drives the temperamental daughter of Triumphant Caviar, who has earned $53,350 lifetime for owner Jim Bafia.

Conrad photo

Consolidator hopes to make it three in a row Friday night at Scioto Downs in her $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes test.

In the third (race 11) OSS division, Consolidator will be looking to continue her sweep of the series, having won the first two legs confidently for trainer Jim Arledge Jr. and the Green Acquisition Corp. Piloted in all of her starts by Chris Page, Consolidator was bred by the Rose Run Farm and is by Triumphant Caviar, out of the Muscles Yankee mare Muscle Toy. She won $77,616 as a freshman, capturing two of five starts last season. This year the statuesque filly is two-for-two and shows no signs of slowing down under the watchful eye of her trainer, pushing her career earnings to $117,616. She won OSS leg one on May 6 at Miami Valley in a wire-to-wire effort in 1:57.4 and won the second leg in similar style, stopping the Northfield clock in a casual 1:58 with Page at the lines.

Kestrel, though saddled with post eight, certainly has the credentials to test Consolidator. This Chris Beaver trainee captured her OSS leg at Northfield on May 29 by nearly nine lengths in 1:57 for driver Aaron Merriman. Bred and co-owned by Wilbur Lang along with Beaver, this daughter of Triumphant Caviar-Blackrock has career earnings of $216,650 and seasonal earnings of $25,000. She’s a winner of seven of nine starts in her career and was Ohio’s 2-year-old filly champion of 2015.

Beaver will also harness Evanora for owner/breeder Sandra Burnett as she looks for the first victory of her 3-year-old campaign. A winner of $81,143 lifetime, the daughter of Pilgrims Taj has four wins in 14 career starts, and rarely misses a check.

Ohio Sires Stakes continue throughout the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with 3-year-old filly pacers battling Saturday night (July 2) at Scioto Downs; freshman trotting and pacing fillies dueling Sunday night (July 3) at Northfield Park; and freshman trotting and pacing colts vying on Monday afternoon (July 4) at Scioto Downs.