by Kimberly Rinker, OSDF Administrator

Columbus, OH — Nine Ohio Sires Stakes divisions for freshman colts and geldings will be in the spotlight Monday night (Aug. 7), as 66 pacers and trotters line up behind the Northfield Park starting gate, with a scheduled post time of 6 p.m., ET. Each division carries a purse of $40,000 in leg three of this four-leg series for Ohio-bred harness horses.

A total of 28 trotting youngsters vie in four OSS divisions, with five freshmen each sired by Ohio stallions Dejarmbro and Manofmanymissions. Sires Break The Bank K and Cash Hall are represented by four progeny each, while Dontyouforgetit and Triumphant Caviar have three 2-year-olds each in competition. Stallions with one foal each in these OSS contests include And Away We Go, Full Count, Keystone Savage and Winning Fireworks.

Jeff Zamaiko photo

Drew The Dragon seeks his third victory in the third leg of OSS action on Monday.

A trio of previous OSS leg winners will battle in the first division (race one), including Sugar Top, a son of Manofmanymissions conditioned by Melanie Wrenn. This youngster won leg two on July 18 at Scioto Downs in 1:57 for driver Peter Wrenn and sports a bankroll of $27,340.

Icingon De Cupcake, a son of Dejarmbro trained by Scott Mogan for owners/breeders Jeff Johnson and Doug Millard, won leg one on July 8 in 2:00.4 but broke strike in leg two at Scioto Downs on July 18. He’s one for three with $23,560 in career earnings.

The Herb LeVan trained and owned Manny L has five wins in nine career starts and $34,726 in his bankroll. The son of Manofmanymissions won leg one in wire-to-wire fashion in 1:59.2 and also scored victories at Marysville (by 16-1/2 lengths) in 2:03.2 on July 23 and at Wapakoneta (by 15-1/4 lengths) in 2:08.3 on Aug. 1.

The second OSS division (race three) features Get The Cash, a Cash Hall gelding who won leg one in 1:57.3 for trainer and co-owner Kelly O’Donnell. A winner of two races in his career in four starts, Get The Cash has $28,940 in earnings thus far.

Rod Hughes Jr.’s Sultan Of Cash will be trying for his sixth career victory in as many tries as he goes postward in the third OSS test (race five) for diagonally-gaited specialists. The bay Cash Hall gelding won his first OSS test in 1:59.3; leg two at Scioto Downs in 1:57.1; and won a $43,800 Ohio Fair Stake at Scioto in 1:57.2, among others. Owned and trained by Hughes Jr., Sultan Of Cash is five-for-five lifetime with $65,515 in career earnings.

he Marty Wollam conditioned Count On Cody will also be competing in this third division. A winner of leg two in 1:57.1 on July 18 at Scioto Downs, the son of Full Count was second in leg one on July 8 at Northfield Park in 1:59.4. Count On Cody has $44,575 in career earnings from two wins and two seconds in four lifetime starts.

In the five side-wheeling divisions (races two, four, seven, nine, 11), 38 colts and geldings passed the entry box. Eleven sons of Pet Rock, nine from Dragon Again and five from McArdle will spar, with two sons each representing their sires Big Bad John, I’m Gorgeous and We Will See. The Ohio sires Charley Barley, Mr Apples, No Pan Intended, The Panderosa, Three Olives, Woodstock and Yankee Cruiser each have one foal going postward in OSS competition Monday evening.

A host of previous OSS leg winners will be returning in hopes of garnering another trip to the winner’s circle, including track and world record holder Drew The Dragon, who posted a 1:51.4 triumph on July 22. With Dan Noble at the lines, the Dragon Again gelding shattered the previous Northfield Park track record of 1:53.1, set by Barnabas (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) in 2016 and also established a new world record for 2-year-old geldings on a half-mile track. Drew The Dragon is conditioned by Jim Dailey and has $24,750 in earnings by virtue of two wins in four starts.

The Ron Burke trained Seeing Eye Single seeks his third consecutive victory in this series, having won leg one at Scioto Downs on July 4 in 1:53.1 and leg two at Northfield on July 22 in 1:53.4—each time by a comfortable two lengths. The $40,000-winning gelding leaves from post three in Race 11.

Trainer Brenda Teague will harness two outstanding youngsters, including track record holder Lather Up, who established that effort via his victory in OSS leg two on July 27, when he paced to a winning 1:52.2 clocking, besting his rivals by five lengths. The son of I’m Gorgeous also won leg one at Scioto Downs on July 4 in 1:52.2 by 4-1/2 lengths. Breeders Gary and Barbara Iles of Harrington, Del. own this talented youngster who owns a bankroll of $41,500.

Teague’s other charge, Sip And A Bite, won leg one at Scioto Downs in 1:54 on July 4, but when off-stride in leg two and finished out of the money. Teague trains this $20,000-winning son of I’m Gorgeous for her brother George. Montrell Teague will steer both of these youngsters.

Three powerhouse pacers from the Brian Brown stable will go behind the gate Monday, including Rock On Creek, a son of Pet Rock who won leg one in 1:55.1 and was third in leg two to Drew The Dragon. This colt has $44,175 in earnings from two wins and a second in three lifetime starts. The striking black son of The Panderosa, Slick Mick, won leg two in 1:54.2 on July 22, after finishing third in leg one on July 4 for owner/breeder Milton J. Leeman of Columbus, Ohio. Brown’s third entrant is the Dragon Again youngster Dragonology, who won leg two in an impressive 1:53.2 after finishing second to Lather Up in leg one at Scioto Downs on July 4.

Other returning winners include Harambe Deo, a bay Woodstock colt conditioned by Chris McGuire, who won leg one in 1:55 at Scioto Downs before finishing fourth in leg two.

Trainer Jeff Smith harnesses Letsallrock in search of his second OSS victory. This $29,512-winning altered son of Pet Rock won leg one in 1:52.2 at Scioto Downs, but had broken equipment in leg two.

Born To Be Bad won leg one in wire-to-wire fashion, timed in 1:55.1 at Scioto Downs and was second on July 22 at Northfield to Drew The Dragon. Ron Steck trains the bay son of Big Bad John who has $46,937 in his career coffers.

Last but not least, is Sectionline Bigry, a homebred son of Pet Rock conditioned by Steve Bauder for Harold Lee and Harold L. Bauder of Delaware, Ohio. This bay gelding won leg one at Scioto Downs in 1:54.2 by 3-1/2 lengths on July 4, and then finished a solid fifth in leg two from the eight-hole on July 22.