Columbus, OH – Two-year-old male trotters went to battle in the second leg of the $20,000 Buckeye Stallion Series at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Thursday (July 24). Half of the divisions were won by Long Tom sons from the rail, with LT Will B Awesome taking the fastest division in 1:55.3.
Pete Wrenn eased LT Will B Awesome off the wings to settle in fourth as Bug On and Dan Noble took the lead by the :27.2 opening quarter from post nine. Wrenn angled LT Will B Awesome out to follow cover from Eckert Hill Brady (Justin Irvine) by the :57 half. Moving three-wide as the field hit the 1:25.4 third quarter, LT Will B Awesome cleared down the stretch to win by three lengths as the 3-5 favorite. Eckert Hill Brady was second with Dan’s Victory (Brett Miller) closing from the back to be third.
Owned by Wrenn Racing LLC, LT Will B Awesome was a $27,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Midland Acres. The Long Tom gelding is out of the Broadway Hall mare Swinging Nadine and now has a win and a third in his two lifetime starts.
The other Long Tom gelding to win his BSS division was Rudedude L and trainer/driver Hank LeVan. Getting away third, Rudedude L watched as What Say You (Luke Hanners) set the early fractions of :29.3 and :59.4. LeVan moved Rudedude L first-up down the backside towards the 1:28.3 third quarter, and hanging tough, Rudedude L won by a length and a quarter over What Say You; Ready Made (Sandy Beatty) was third.
Rudedude L is owned by LeVan Stables, Darmofal Racing, Edward Perry and Megan LeVan. The Long Tom gelding was a $11,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Midland Acres. Out of the Manofmanymissions mare Lipsofangel As, Rudedude L now has two wins in seven lifetime starts and $24,955 in earnings.
Perfect Range and Luke Hanners took their division in 1:58.2. The pair went straight to the front from the rail and led at every call – :29, :59.3 and 1:29.1. Soulful Saul (Carson Conrad) was 2-1/4 lengths back in second with Mogul Maverick (Irvine) third.
Bret Schwartz trains and co-owns Perfect Range with Racehorse Express and Michael Ferguson. Bred by Edwin Burkholder, the In Range gelding out of the Neely Dunn mare Caviar Dunn is now one-for-three on the year.
The last divisional winner was announced following a double placing at the finish. Aaron Merriman settled Okay One More fourth along the rail from post two as a couple lead changes transpired heading towards the :29.1 quarter. Going under the line for the first time Okay One More made his move while Moon Time Moni (Chris Lems) led to the :59.4 half. By the 1:29 third quarter Okay One More stalled out but coming down to the finish, both Moon Time Moni and pocket-sitter Jackie Jann (Wilbur Yoder) went off-stride. Judges placed Okay One More on top, timed in 1:59.3, with Dublins Holiday (Logan Ebersole) placed second and Dublins Sidney (Ronnie Gillespie) placed third.
Okay One More is a Triumphant Caviar gelding out of the Credit Winner mare Centerfold Lady. A $45,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase, Okay One More was bred by Martz Creek Farm and now has two wins in three starts for trainer/co-owner Chris Beaver, Tim Homan, Leo Fleming and Bill Manes.
Racing continues Friday and Saturday this week at Scioto Downs with a first post off-time of 5:52 p.m. (EDT). Friday’s card will feature two divisions of the Ohio Sires Stakes for 2-year-old filly pacers and six divisions of the Buckeye Stallion Series for 2-year-old colt pacers. Saturday’s races include stake races for colt pacers, including three divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes for 2-year-olds and a single division of 10 3-year-olds going for $100,000.
The 90-day 2025 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet runs through Saturday, Sept. 13. Races are held Tuesday-Saturday with a 5:45 p.m. first post. A special late first post of 6:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, will help accommodate horsemen attending the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale. More information about racing at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.