Columbus, OH — A total of 17 Ohio Sires Stakes (OSS) will be contested during the July 4th holiday week, in round one action for 2-year-old colt and filly pacers and trotters. Each event carries a purse of $40,000.

On Wednesday (July 3), five OSS fields of neophyte filly trotters will line up behind the Northfield Park starting gate. A full 39 of these diagonally-gaited distaffers will wage war in races one, two, three, five and seven over the half-mile “Home of the Flying Turns.” First race post time is 6 p.m.

On Thursday (July 4), eight OSS divisions for colts—four pacing and four trotting—will take place over El Dorado Scioto Down’s five-eighth’s mile oval, with a matinee post of 2 p.m. A total of 31 pacers vie in races one, four, eight and 12, while 32 trotting youngsters battle in races two, five, seven and 11.

Friday (July 5), the action returns to Northfield Park, with four OSS divisions for pacing fillies, carded as races two, five, seven and nine, with a 6 p.m. post time. From 164 nominees, 32 side-wheelers passed the entry box—some making their first career starts.

For foals to be eligible to the rich Ohio Sires Stakes program, which sports four legs per division based on gender, gait and age, the foal’s sire must be registered with the Ohio State Racing Commission during the year of conception.

Ohio-based trotting stallions represented by progeny in these OSS contests include Uncle Peter with 20 foals (11 fillies and nine colts); Triumphant Caviar with nine foals (five fillies and four colts); and Manofmanymissions with six foals (two fillies and four colts). The stallions Break The Bank K, Broadway Hall, Cash Hall and Dejarmbro are represented by five foals each, while Wishing Stone has four foals competing.

Other diagonally-gaited stallions with progeny in the Ohio Sires Stakes include And Away We Go, Coraggioso, Deep Chip, Dontyouforgetit, Full Count, My MVP, Southwind Spirit and Team Six.

Switching gaits to the pacing stallions, Big Bad John has 11 foals represented (eight colts and three fillies); Pet Rock has 10 foals (five colts and five fillies); and Dragon Again has eight foals (three colts and five fillies). McArdle and Yankee Cruiser both have five foals competing, while Rockin Amadeus has four, with Bigrisk, We Will See and Western Vintage with three foals each.

Additional side-wheeling stallions with foals in the Ohio Sires Stakes include Allamerican Native, Art Official, Art’s Chip, Charley Barley, Cheyenne Rei, Feelin Friskie, I’m Gorgeous, Mister Big, Mr. Wiggles, and Nob Hill High.

Observing the pedigrees of a few of the contestants, several stand out, including an Uncle Peter daughter out of the Broadway Hall mare Pilgrims Stunner 5, 1:53.1M ($265,141) named Miss Stunner. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, J. Melillo, J&T Silva-Purnel&Libby and Weaver Bruscemi, Miss Stunner has been a winner in all three of her starts, beginning with a 2:03.1 qualifier at The Meadows on May 30. She followed that up with a 2:05.2 score at that same Pennsylvania venue on June 6 and returned on the 19th to win in 1:59, this time drawing off by six lengths. Ronnie Burke trains Miss Stunner, who was bred by Ohio’s Double Spring Farm.

Burke will also tighten the harness on It’s Academic, a son of Uncle Peter out of the Muscle Hill mare Annapolis for Burke Racing, Bill Donovan, Joe Sbrocco and the Hatfield Stables. This youngster rattled off a trio of victories in as many tries thus far, scoring a 2:02.1 winning qualifier on May 30 at The Meadows, followed by a 1:59.4 score on June 6 and an impressive, 1:57.1 triumph in his pari-mutuel debut on June 19. It’s Academic was bred by Gbw Breeding Farms.

Another hopeful prospect is the Uncle Peter filly Uncle Peters Love, who comes into her OSS test fresh off a pair of winning qualifiers on June 12 and 19 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Driven by Leroy Miler for trainer/owner Erv Miller, Uncle Peters Love scored first in 2:01 and then in 1:58.3 by a whopping 8-1/2 lengths. She is the fourth foal out of the unraced Muscles Yankee mare Love Me Two Times and is by Chapter Seven. Uncle Peters Love was bred by Randy and Michael Wilt.

Delovely Hall, a daughter by Cash Hall, is the fifth foal out of the Amigo Hall mare Daylon Mystique 4, 1:56.4f ($310,162) and is a half-sister to Dancer Hall (by Deweycheatumnhowe) 4, 1:52.2f ($313,650). Bred by Walnut Hall et al, Delovely Hall is trained by Chris Beaver for Renee Bercury. She posted a 2:02.1 winning qualifier at Delaware on June 14 and was a smart second in her first start at Northfield on June 26 to OSS rival Spend That Money, who was clocked in 2:01.1.

Spend That Money, an Uncle Peter lass out of the Muscles Yankee mare Spend It In, is trained by Jason McGinnis for Thestable Spend Thatmoney. Bred by Cornerstone Stock Farm, Spend That Money won her Woodbine qualifier on June 8 before posting that Northfield victory.

Kikimora is a homebred daughter by Triumphant Caviar who put forth a solid effort in first pari-mutuel start on June 26 at Northfield, stopping the timer in 2:00.2 in a wire-to-wire effort and besting her rivals by nearly five lengths. Chris Beaver trains for partner Sandra Burnett. She is the fourth foal out of the Chip Chip Hooray mare Nessa Rose and is a half-sister to Ohio Sires Stakes winner Evanora (by Pilgrims Taj) 3, 1:56.3 ($115,348).

Black Magic Racing’s homebred Nvrpoptdaplugs scored an impressive qualifier at Scioto Downs on June 24, drawing off by five lengths in 1:54 with trainer/driver Ken Holiday at the lines. The son of Big Bad John is the fourth foal out of the Aces N’Sevens mare Miss Walker p, 5, 1:53.4s ($132,412).

Trainer Mike Polhamus’ Epic Ace posted a 1:54.3 clocking in his last qualifier at Scioto Downs on June 24, winning by three lengths and utilizing a :28.1 final brush. The son of Western Vintage, out of the Aces N’ Sevens mare Golden Ace p, 7, 1:53.1h ($220,315) is owned by C.L. Polhamus, S. Newberry and P.J. Horvath and was bred by Marion Beachy.

After winning an Ohio Fair Stake at Circleville in 1:59.2, Mr Ds Rock swept to a 1:55.4 triumphant clocking at Scioto Downs on June 26. Trained by Steve Carter for Peggy Carter and Steven Price, Mr D’s Rock is by Pet Rock, and is the fourth foal out of the Sportsmaster mare Cotton Candy, p, 3, 1:52.3m ($188,312). Bred by Mark Moger and Albert Delia, Jr., Mr Ds Rock is a full brother to recent OSS winner Rock Candy p, 3, 1:50.2f ($305,626) and has a half-sibling in Mr D’s Dragon (by Dragon Again) p, 4, 1:50.1f ($268,873).

Rockmatic posted a 1:54.2 winning qualifier for trainer Kevin Lare and partners North State Street Stable and Frank Chick on June 24 at The Poconos. This homebred daughter of Pet Rock is out of the Dream Away mare Monochromatic p, 8, 1:50.4f ($869,905).

Ellagator makes her debut in OSS competition for owner Howard Taylor and trainer Chris McGuire after scoring a pair of back-to-back winning qualifying efforts at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. This Western Vintage lass, out of the Total Truth mare Dame Truth won her first qualifier on June 19 in a front-stepping 1:56.2 effort and followed that up using similar tactics on June 26, clocked in 1:56.1, and drawing off by five winning lengths. She was bred by Nancy Johansson.

Laura and Paul Baker’s McMarkle Sparkle broke her maiden on June 25 at Scioto Downs, pacing to a 1:54.1 record by 7-1/2 lengths in her first pari-mutuel attempt for trainer Jim Arledge, Jr. This homebred McArdle Lass is out of the Towner’s Big Guy mare It’s Ladies Nite.