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

Columbus, OH — Nominations to the $5.3 million 2015 Ohio Sire Stakes program for 2- and 3-year-old trotters and pacers are up 69.4 percent in 2015 from 2014, when just 457 Standardbreds were designated by their owners into these divisions.

“Ohio is climbing back to the status it once held as the top Standardbred state in North America,” offered Richard McClelland, Chairman of the Ohio Standardbred Development Committee. “Our rich Ohio Sire Stake program can only continue to enhance the quality of the breeding and racing industry in our state.”

A total of 774 freshman and sophomore trotters and pacers have been nominated to the OSS program this season, which includes four $40,000 to $45,000 legs and a $225,000 championship for each of the eight divisions of Ohio-bred youngsters.

Of that total, a full 587 were nominated in the 2-year-old division, while 187 were named in the 3-year-old ranks.

Freshman colt pacers have the most nominees, with 177, while the freshman filly pacing division has 156 nominated horses. In the trotting division there are 131 freshman filly trotters and 123 freshman colt trotters nominated.

Interestingly, fillies dominated the 3-year-old diagonally-gaited division, with 57 nominees, while 49 male trotters were made eligible. In the pacing group, 44 colts were nominated and 37 fillies were nominated in the sophomore ranks.

As well, 71 Ohio-bred Standardbreds — ages four and older — have been nominated in the older division thus far. A total of 38 trotters and 33 pacers have been entered into the program, with a June 1 deadline remaining.

The older OSS division had previously not been contested since 2009 until 2014, when just 35 (25 trotters and 10 pacers) were nominated to the program. Consequently, the 2015 numbers to date represent a 51 percent increase in the older division.

Ohio ranked first nationally in number of mares bred (2,494) and registered foals (1,471) in 2014, according to USTA statistics.