by Kimberly A. Rinker, Administrator, Ohio Standardbred Development Fund

Columbus, OH — Four divisions of sophomore fillies are set to wage war on Friday night (Aug. 28) at Scioto Downs Racino, vying for $120,000 in combined Ohio Sires Stakes purses.

A total of 15 pacing and 19 trotting Buckeye-bred distaffs will line up behind the starting gate, beginning with a first race post time of 6:30 p.m.

Multiple OSS victress Karlee Sue headlines the first $40,000 division of OSS pacing fillies (race one) for trainer and co-owner Al Tomlinson. The conditioner has harnessed the daughter of Feelin Friskie-Magical Jeanie to $99,227 in career earnings for partners Dennis Stolz and Daniel A. Mitchell.

Karlee Sue, a $20,000 yearling purchase from the 2013 Blooded Horse Sale, captured the third leg of this series on Aug. 14 at Northfield Park, stopping the timer in 1:55.1. She captured leg two on June 12 at Scioto Downs, timed in 1:54.2. Bred by Midland Acres, Karlee Sue will leave form post two in the eight horse field with Kayne Kauffman at the lines. Her seasonal earnings stand at $73,088.

Rival Bell Flower will leave from post four in this same race for Chris Page and trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. This daughter of Fly Fly Buckeye-Our Lady Countess was an $8,000 yearling at the 2013 Blooded Horse Sale and has returned $198,501 to her investors.

Owned by Bruce and Patricia Soulsby, Dean Davis and Carl Howard, Bell Flower is a multiple Ohio Fair Stake winner and captured the first leg of this OSS series on May 1 at Miami Valley Raceway in 1:53.1 in wire-to-wire fashion. She has ten career wins, a second and one third in 16 trips postward.

In the second $40,000 OSS pacing division (race five), Crosswinds Cupcake, a homebred daughter of Stand Forever, leaves from post four with Danny Noble in the sulky. Conditioned by David Elliott for owner Stephen Sexton and Crosswinds Stable Farm, Crosswinds Cupcake has seasonal earnings of $85,690 to date.

She won her OSS test on Aug. 14 at Northfield Park wire-to-wire in 1:54.1 and had won the second OSS leg on June 12 at Northfield in similar fashion, timed in 1:55. A winner of $126,362 lifetime, this venerable filly is out of the unraced Artsplace mare Keystone Mulberry, a multiple stakes producer.

Friskie Lil Devil starts from post seven in this same event for trainer Brian Brown and driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. The daughter of Feelin Friskie-Devils Desire won the $200,000 OSS Championship and one $40,000 leg of this series as a 2-year-old, amassing $177,266 during her freshman campaign.

Bred by Midland Acres and owned by the Lil Devil Stables, Friskie Lil Devil was a $20,000 yearling purchase at the 2013 Blooded Horse Sale. She won the $38,000 Hackett at Miami Valley Raceway on April 24 and has added an additional $52,924 to her coffers this season.

Dark Roast, who has captured every leg of this OSS series to date for diagonally-gaited specialists, will start from post nine in this fourth $40,000 leg (race three). The daughter of Full Count-Edens Mardi Gras will be reined by Kurt Sugg for trainer Marty Wollam, and owners Acadia Farm and G&B Racing.

Bred by Marvin Raber, Dark Roast has $118,288 in career earnings, with six wins, a trio of seconds and four thirds in 16 lifetime starts. She won leg one on May 1 at Miami Valley Raceway in 1:58; the second leg on June 12 at Northfield Park in 1:57.3; and the third leg on Aug. 14 in 1:57.1, with wire-to-wire ease. To date this season she has $69,245 in earnings.

Lisa Jane and driver Ryan Stahl will leave from post six for trainer Scott Cox. Owned by the Parent Racing Stable LLC and G Peters, Lisa Jane won her OSS test on June 12 at Northfield in 1:55.4, leading at every post. The daughter of Neely Dunn-Vanilla B was bred by Henry Burkholder and was a $10,000 yearling purchase at the 2013 Blooded Horse Sale.

Lisa Jane also won an Ohio Breeders Stake on June 19 at Scioto Downs in 1:56.3 and has only missed one check all season. She last finished second to the aforementioned Dark Roast in that Northfield, Aug. 14 OSS outing, and has seven career victories to her credit in 18 starts.

In the second $40,000 OSS trotting division (race six), Like Old Times leaves from post four with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. behind. Trained by Don McKirgan for breeder-owner Keith Ross, the daughter of Chip Chip Hooray-Royal Two has amassed $108,512 in seasonal earnings, and has captured two previous OSS series legs.

Like Old Times won her last OSS test on Aug. 14 at Northfield, leading at every post, in 1:57. She captured the second leg of this series on June 12 at Northfield Park in 1:57 and won an Ohio Breeders Stake on June 9 at Scioto Downs in 1:56.2. This 3-year-old lass has 12 career victories to her credit with $172,617 in lifetime earnings. From 12 starts this season, she’s garnered nine wins and a trio of third-place finishes.

Student Of Life hails from post ten, in the second tier, for driver Kurt Sugg and trainer Marty Wollam. The daughter of Full Count-Lynn’s Slider has earned $86,300 during her sophomore campaign, with five wins, three seconds and one third in ten tries.

She last finished second to Like Old Times in that OSS test at Northfield on Aug. 14, but had previously won a $53,150 Ohio State Fair-Pride Of Ohio Stake on Aug. 7 at Scioto Downs in 1:57.3. She also won an Ohio Fair Stakes in 1:57.1 at Northfield on Aug. 1 and had won the first leg of this series on May 1 at Miami Valley Raceway in 1:59.1. Bred by Marvin Raber, Student Of Life is owned by Acadia Farms and G&B Racing.