by Dean A. Hoffman, for the Ohio State Racing Commission

Columbus, OH — Ohio’s female Standardbred stars of the future make their stakes racing debut on Thursday (July 4) during the holiday matinee card at Scioto Downs.

There are 39 2-year-old fillies competing in five Ohio Sires Stakes events, each for a purse of $30,000.

There are three divisions of trotting juveniles, programmed as races two, three and 11. The two divisions of pacers will race in the afternoon’s opening race and in race 12 on the 14-race holiday card.

In The Grippers is the 5-2 morning line favorite in race two, perhaps because she’s from the stable of Virgil Morgan, Jr., the leading trainer at Scioto for many years. She will be driven by Chris Page, the driving champion at Scioto Downs in recent seasons. In The Grippers shows a trotting win in 2:04 already this season.

Big V’s Lil Girl, another Morgan trainee, gets the favorite’s role in the third race and will have the driving services of Dan Noble, the leading race-winning driver in North America in 2011. She has a win in 2:03.1 to her credit.

Dellou is the early choice in race 11, the final of the three trotting divisions for freshman fillies. She is trained by James Lupton and will have Kurt Sugg as her driver. She’s got a victory in 2:03.2 this season.

In the first race of the day, the Ohio Sires Stakes field of eight is led by favored Crown Time Keeper, a recent winner in a swift 1:58. Steve Carter trains with the driver to be named later.

Baby Slider starts from post position one in race 12 and the odds-maker picks her to finish first, too. She’s trained by Bill Webb and has one win and one second in two lifetime starts. Mark Headworth will be in the sulky behind Baby Slider.

Post time at Scioto Downs on Thursday is 1 p.m.