Grove City, OH – Ronnie Gillespie knows what it takes to get colt trotters to the winner’s circle in the annual Next Generation races. He’s won that division as both driver and trainer the past two years. This year, though, he’s looking to achieve victory with a filly.
“It’s going to be different with a filly,” Gillespie said.
That horse, Lolly, is one of eight entries in the filly trot division of this year’s Next Generation event for 2-year-olds, which is being held Saturday (July 4) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. She is a Volstead filly out of Sugar Pop, making her a full sister to 2024 Ohio Horse of the Year Sugar Instead. Now 5 years old, Sugar Instead has 28 victories and over $1.09 million in earnings in 71 career starts. That pedigree attracted owner WJ Donovan, of Delray Beach, Florida, to purchase Lolly, and Gilliespie likes how the filly has progressed thus far.
“She’s a little different than Sugar,” he said. “She’s not as easygoing as Sugar, but it seems like she’s going in the right direction.”
Gillespie drove Sugar Instead to a second-place finish in the 2023 Next Generation and is still seeking his first win in the event with a filly. He’s hoping Lolly will help him end that drought. She will be making her first purse start following a pair of qualifiers at Scioto Downs on June 15 and 29. She finished as the runner-up in the first qualifier and won the second in 1:58.1, indicating to Gillespie that she could compete in the Next Generation.
“I wasn’t going to put her in the Next Generation, but after her first qualifier, I decided to qualify her again, and she went :58, so it seems like she’s starting to head in the right way,” he said.
Todd Luther trainee Kissme Ifyoucan (Austin Hanners) opened as the 7-2 favorite for Saturday’s race, while Dublins Ferani (Anthony MacDonald) and Made For More (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) are 4-1 on the morning line. Lolly isn’t far behind at 9-2. Gillespie views the filly trot division as a relatively equal field, adding that the pace will determine how well Lolly fares.
“If they get aggressive and the fraction is pretty hot early on, I think she’s going to have a good shot because she’s more of a grinding-type horse, so I think she can pick up the pieces on the end,” he said.
Gillespie, who won the Next Generation with colt trotters Whats Shakin in 2024 and Big Ranger in 2025, would love to add a victory with a filly to his resume.
“Winning with a filly would be really special because, to me, it’s harder to win with fillies and keep them good from the beginning to the end,” he said. “So to win it and continue to have success throughout the rest of the year, that would be really special to me.”
Knox Services Looks to Add to Next Generation Win Total
As a co-owner, Knox Services, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, has racked up eight wins across the four divisions of the Next Generation since the event was first held in 2020. Those victories came courtesy of filly pacer Sea Silk and filly trotter Be My Baby Now in 2021, colt pacer Act Fast and colt trotter John Dutton in 2022, colt pacer Midwind Beach Boy in 2023, colt pacer Swingtown and filly pacer The Word Is Out in 2024, and colt pacer I’llbetyourboots in 2025. With three entries in this year’s Next Generation, the ownership group can add to that win total.
Knox Services’ 2026 entries include filly trotter Missredwhitenblue, filly pacer Real Classy, and colt pacer Ocean Party. All three are trained by Ron Burke, who has nine wins and $861,000 in purse earnings from 20 Next Generation starters in his career. As with most of the other entries, Real Classy and Ocean Party will be making their purse-race debuts, while Missredwhitenblue has a win at Paulding and a runner-up finish at Ottawa in a pair of fair starts this year.
Real Classy (Wrenn Jr.) drew the rail and opened as the 4-1 favorite in the filly pace division. A Downbytheseaside filly out of Real Diva, she is a full sister to Seaside Diva, a 5-year-old mare with 26 career wins and over $1.2 million in earnings. Real Classy is a homebred for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Knox Services, and Let It Ride Stables. She has started two qualifiers, both at The Meadows, finishing third and first and recording a mark of 1:58.2.
“Real Classy has trained down really well all winter and has had two really good qualifiers, and we’re hoping for good things from her,” Knox Services’ Kris Brechler said.
Ocean Party (Chris Page) is a Downbytheseaside colt out of Dancin Lucille owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Knox Services, and Michael Rosenthal. He finished fifth and third in a pair of qualifiers at The Meadows in June and opened with 5-1 odds after drawing post four for Saturday.
“Ocean Party has trained down really well all winter, and we’re hoping for good things from him this year as well,” Brechler said.
Erv Miller trainee Atlantic Ivey (Atlee Bender) drew post seven and is the 3-1 morning line favorite in the colt pace division.
Brechler is high on both Real Classy and Ocean Party in their respective races.
“Who knows how the races are going to go, but I think we have a good chance with both of them,” he said.
Missredwhitenblue (Page), meanwhile, drew the rail and opened with 8-1 odds in the filly trot division. The Cuatro De Julio filly out of Sweet Street is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Knox Services, and Phillip Collura. Brechler is hoping the patriotically named filly can score a victory on Independence Day as the U.S. celebrates its bisesquicentennial.
“That would be awesome for her to win with it being July 4th and the 250th anniversary,” he said.
The four Next Generation races are part of a $1.02 million, 16-race card at Scioto Downs on Saturday. The card also includes six $50,000 divisions of the fourth leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes for sophomore fillies. First-race post time is 5:25 p.m.