Grove City, OH – Fly High Cruiser scored his third Buckeye Stallion Series win of the season on Thursday (Sept. 18) as the Delaware County Fair hosted eight $20,000 divisions of the fifth leg of the BSS for sophomore pacers in the 20-race Jug Day card to conclude the five-day meet in Delaware, Ohio. The card included five divisions of male pacers and three divisions of filly pacers.
Fly High Cruiser (Dan Noble) recorded a wire-to-wire victory in the fourth division of colt pacers, winning by four lengths in 1:53.1. Rodeo Jet (Chris Page) was second with House Of Brix (Trevor Smith) in third. Fly High Cruiser recorded fractions of :27.4, :57.1, and 1:25.3 en route to his fifth career victory, increasing his earnings to $72,100. The Yankee Cruiser gelding also recorded BSS wins in the second and third legs in 1:54 and 1:52.3, respectively. He is trained by Anette Lorentzon, who co-owns the horse with Tony Hall.
Lorentzon stablemate Cruising Zone (Page) won the first division in wire-to-wire fashion, crossing the line in 1:53. The Yankee Cruiser gelding recorded fractions of :27.1, :56.2, and 1:24.4 and won by nearly three lengths. The Onyx Dragon (Justin Irvine) was second followed by Johnny Up (Tyler Smith) in third.
“I live here in Delaware, and it’s sweet winning in front of all your buddies,” Page said in a post-race interview with the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association. “I can’t take all the credit. Obviously, I’m driving some very good horses, and I’m getting them in some decent spots, and the trainers are getting me home.”
Owned by Lorentzon, Cruising Zone has hit the board in eight of 12 career starts with three wins and $40,960 in earnings.
Page also drove Moons Up to victory, taking the third division in 1:52, which was the fastest mile among the five divisions of male pacers. The Ron Burke trainee was in second place as the field crossed the quarter pole in :27.3 but led the rest of the way with fractions of :56.1 and 1:23.4 en route to winning by 1-3/4 lengths. Butchershop Buck (Noble) was second followed by Seaside Star (Luke Hanners) in third. Moons Up is a Lather Up gelding owned by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi. He has eight wins in 17 lifetime starts, with $61,316 in earnings.
Unique Catch (Kurt Sugg) won the second division in a photo finish in 1:52.4, holding off a late charge on the outside from Mama Said Zip It (Scott Zeron). The Daren Harvey trainee led wire to wire and won by a nose, posting fractions of :27.4, :56.1, and 1:24.2. Odds On Odin (Dexter Dunn) was third. Unique Catch has hit the board in 20 of 26 lifetime starts, with 13 wins and $110,655 in earnings. The Catch The Fire gelding is owned by Wayne Mast Jr., Eden Acres Farmstead, Steven Miller, and Harvey.
Bars And Notes (Ty. Smith) took the victory in the fifth division, tripping the wire in 1:52.1. The Racing Hill gelding posted fractions of :26.2, :54.2, and 1:23.1 in the wire-to-wire win. He was two lengths ahead of Woodrow Blue Chip (Noble) in second with Down Two Party (Dunn) finishing third. It was the sixth career win for Bars And Notes, who has $120,859 in earnings. He is trained by Joseph Lucas, who co-owns the horse with At The Wire Farms.
Sophomore Filly Pacers
Queen Of Fear and Judge Me Again scored their second BSS wins of the season.
Queen Of Fear (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) recorded the fastest mile of the three divisions, taking the first division in 1:52.3, matching her lifetime best. The Fear The Dragon filly led wire to wire, finishing 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Maddie’s Delite (Yannick Gingras) with Survivin Fire (Noble) in third. She posted fractions of :27.3, :56.1, and 1:23.4. Her prior BSS win this season came in the fourth leg in 1:53.3. She has six career wins, with $194,950 in earnings, and is owned by Ashley Dunn and trainer Edward Miller.
Judge Me Again (Tr. Smith) won the third division in 1:55.2. Her prior BSS win was in the second leg in 1:51.3. Trunk Bay Hanover (Austin Hanners) led the field past the first three calls in :27.3, :56, and 1:25.1. After taking the pocket trip, Judge Me Again moved to the outside of the leader and surpassed Trunk Bay Hanover going to the line, winning by three-quarters of a length. Mandys Rottenapple (Noble) was third. Judge Me Again has four career wins and $69,785 in earnings. The Western Vintage filly is trained by Chris Beaver, who co-owns the horse with Jim Burnett, Leo Fleming, and Tim Homan.
Racin Like A Star (David Miller) took a wire-to-wire victory in the second division in 1:54.3. Moonlit Romance (Page) was three-quarters of a length back in second with Legendary L (Hank LeVan) in third. Racin Like A Star posted fractions of :27.2, :56, and 1:25.1. The Racing Hill filly has won nine of 18 seasonal starts and has 11 career victories with $79,237 in earnings. She is trained by Ryan Holton for owners Jeff Fought Racing, Adam Friedland, SCP Stable, and Hunter Holton.
The five legs of the Buckeye Stallion Series for all eight divisions have been completed. The BSS finals are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, at MGM Northfield Park.
In Other Action
Fear The Dragon geldings Whatchagonnado and Fearless Delight took two of the four divisions of the Ohio Fair Racing Conference for 3-year-old male pacers.
Whatchagonnado (Cameron McCown) recorded the fastest mile among the four divisions, leading wire to wire and winning the second division by 4-3/4 lengths in 1:53. The Ron Potter trainee posted fractions of :28, :56.3, and 1:25 en route to his fourth career win, increasing his earnings to $68,881.
Fearless Delight (L. Hanners) took the fourth division in 1:55.2. The Fear The Dragon gelding led wire to wire and won by a length. Trained by Bret Schwartz, Fearless Delight has three career wins with $20,901 in earnings.
Schwartz stablemate Southern Rockfest (A. Hanners) won the first division by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:54.1 for his sixth career victory. The Pet Rock gelding has $76,760 in lifetime earnings.
Catch The Express (Page) won the third division by 2-3/4 lengths in a lifetime-best 1:53.3. The Catch The Fire gelding led wire to wire en route to scoring his eighth win in 16 seasonal starts. The Cory Deyermand trainee has nine career wins with $64,760 in earnings.