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

Northfield, OH — A trio of sophomore trotting fillies captured their respective Ohio Sires Stakes divisions Friday night (June 12) at Northfield Park. These contests — each sporting a purse of $40,000 — are the second of a four-leg series for Ohio-bred 3-year-old trotting lasses.

In the first division (race one), favorite Dark Roast and driver Kurt Sugg scored an easy 1:57.3 triumph over rivals Soaring Flight (Greg Grismore) and Bettys Sam (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) Conditioned by Marty Wollam, the daughter of Full Count picked up her second win of the year in four starts, pushing her career earnings to $93,603 for owners Arcadia Farms and G And B Racing.

After a :29 opening panel, Dark Roast pulled first up behind the pace-setting Soaring Flight at the :59.2 half to take the lead. After trotting handily through a :28.4 third panel, she remained steady through a :29.2 final quarter to prevail by three-quarters of a length at the wire. Dark Roast, who was bred by Marvin Raber, won the first leg of this series on May 1 in 1:58 at Miami Valley.

Favorite Like Old Times used nearly the same tactics to garner her 1:57 victory in the second OSS division (race three). With Ronnie Wrenn Jr. handling the driving duties for trainer Don McKirgan, the daughter of Chip Chip Hooray notched her fourth consecutive win and her fifth this season.

Like Old Times had finished second on May 1 in the first leg of this series to division one winner Dark Roast and this latest triumph pushed her seasonal earnings to $47,000 and her career earnings to $111,105 for owner Keith Ross. Sunrise Nibbles (Chris Page), second in the wagering, picked up place money, while mild longshot Expresso Jo (Dan Noble) grabbed show honors.

Lisa Jane and driver Ryan Stahl captured the third OSS division (race six) in a career best clocking of 1:55.4 as the public’s choice. The daughter of Neely Dunn, who was harnessed to victory by conditioner Scott Cox for the Parent Racing Stable LLC and G. Peters, grabbed her second victory of 2015 in just her third start of the year in wire-to-wire fashion.

Bred by Henry Burkholder, Lisa Jane finished two lengths ahead of rival Student Of Life (Kurt Sugg), while Honey B (Kyle Ater) was third. The victory, the sixth of her career, upped Lisa Jane’s career bankroll to $139,329.

The third leg of this series for Ohio-bred trotting fillies will be held on Aug. 14 at Northfield and the fourth leg is set for Aug. 28 at Scioto Downs.

Karlee Sue and Crosswinds Cupcake victorious in OSS filly paces

Two fields of 3-year-old pacing fillies vied for first money in a pair of $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes events on Friday night.

Karlee Sue, a bay daughter of Feelin Friskie, took the first OSS division handily in 1:54.2 for Hall of Fame driver David Miller. After getting away at the back of the pack, Miller skillfully brought Karlee Sue up through splits of :27.4, :57.2 and 1:25.2, utilizing a modest :29 final brush to nail down the victory.

Friskie Tel Dawn (Aaron Merriman) finished second, three-quarters of a length behind the winner, with Friskie Lil Devil (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) getting up to nail show honors.

Bred by Midland Acres, Karlee Sue is conditioned by Al Tomlinson, who owns the filly in partnership with Daniel Mitchell and Dennis Stolz. The victory pushed the filly’s career earnings to $65,765.

The second OSS split for sophomore pacing fillies was captured by the public’s choice, Crosswinds Cupcake and driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr., in a lifetime best clocking of 1:55. Owned and bred by the Crosswinds Stable Farm, this daughter of Stand Forever picked up her second victory of the year in six starts and now has $67,172 in her lifetime bankroll.

After wrestling the lead away from Happy Jude at the :28 opening panel, Crosswinds Cupcake paced solidly through fractions of :57.3 and 1:26 before brushing home in :29, drawing away from her rivals by 5-1/4 lengths. Corner Girl (Ryan Stahl) was second best while Happy Jude held ground to be third.

Third leg OSS action shifts to Northfield Park on July 17 for the colts of both gaits, while the fillies go postward on Aug. 14 at Northfield. Fourth road contests will take place at Scioto Downs on Aug. 28 for the fillies and Aug. 29 for the colts. The $225,000 championship events for all the 2- and 3-year-old divisions will be held on Saturday (Sept. 12) during Scioto Downs’ Super Night festivities.