Columbus, OH — Ohio Sires Stakes action for freshman pacing colts took center stage at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday (Aug. 22), with Jett James and Night Surfer turning in impressive gate-to-wire victories.
Jett James (Brett Miller) won the first, and fastest, $75,000 division in 1:51.1. The Mighty Brix (Tyler Smith) got the pocket trip while Jett James set the pace with :27.2, :56.2 and 1:24 splits. Coming home in :27.1, Jett James won by 2-3/4 lengths over The Mighty Brix; First Grade (Chris Page) was third.
Jett James, owned and trained by Adam Short, now has four wins in seven starts and $116,685 in earnings. The Monte Mike gelding out of the Western Ideal mare Albrizzi Hanover was an $8,000 Blooded Horse Sale purchase from breeder Jacob Mossbarger.
Night Surfer (Luke Hanners) also got his race his way, setting fractions of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:25.4 before winning by a half-length in 1:52.2. Don’ttruckwithme (Chris Lems) was second with Atlantic Ivey (Marvin Luna) finishing third. Night Surfer is now a perfect three-for-three with $116,310 in earnings for trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. and owners Let It Ride Stables, Morrison Racing and Steven Held. By Downbytheseaside out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Dark Force, Night Surfer was a $67,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from KAD Farms.
Three $20,000 divisions of the Buckeye Stallion Series for 2-year-old colt pacers were also held Saturday night.
Into The Blaze (Ronnie Gillespie) won the fastest split in 1:53.3, a new lifetime mark. After leading most of the way to the :28 opening quarter, Into The Blaze then sat in the pocket as ATI Booze Cruisin (Sam Widger) took over towards the :58 half. On Fire (Lems) was flushed out from third at the half and led the field to the 1:25.4 third quarter. Into The Blaze pulled mid-way down the backside and posted a :27.3 last quarter to win by 1-1/4 lengths over On Fire; ATI Booze Cruisin was third. Gillespie also trains and co-owns Into The Blaze with Adam Friedland and Jacob Beard. The $23,000 Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale purchase by Catch The Fire out of the Western Terror mare Bazooka Terror was bred by Martz Creek Farm. Into The Blaze now has four wins in six starts and $61,057 in earnings.
The last split of the evening went to Passing Gear (Kayne Kauffman) in 1:54. Leaving alertly from post seven, Passing Gear led gate-to-wire tripping the timer in :28.1, :57.3 and 1:25.4. King On Campus (Luna) got the pocket trip to be second; Mental Up (Trevor Smith) was third. The gelded son by Downbytheseaside out of the Jereme’s Jet mare My Hare Lady was a $90,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Seven Lick Stables. Trained by Kauffman for owners Redline Racing Stables, Redracer, David VanDusen and Daniel Schrock, Passing Gear now has $29,750 earned in five lifetime starts with two wins.
Sea Monster (Hanners) won the first split in 1:54.4. Monte Python (Marc St Louis, Jr.) was first to the front as the field hit the :27 quarter. Parked four-wide until midway through the first turn from post seven, Sea Monster made the front as the field headed into the second turn. Leading through fractions of :55.4 and 1:24.1, Sea Monster won by 1-3/4 lengths over Monte Python; Seaside Saint (Page) was third. Trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr. for breeder Let It Ride Stables along with Wall Bros Stable, Hutchison Harness and Dennis Owens, Sea Monster now has $20,303 earned in five starts this year. Saturday’s win was the maiden victory for the colt by Downbytheseaside out of the Fear The Dragon mare Dragon Lady.
Live racing at Scioto will continue Tuesday (Aug. 25) with a 15-race card starting at 5:25 p.m. There will also be four qualifiers that day starting at 3:15 p.m. which can be viewed on RTN.
The 91-day 2026 Eldorado Scioto Downs regular season runs through Saturday, Sept. 19. Races are held Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays, with a special holiday card on Labor Day instead of the Tuesday card that week and no live racing on Friday (Sept. 18) to accommodate horsemen attending the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale. The track will then re-open for the Breeders Crown, with eliminations held Oct. 16-17 and the finals Oct. 23-24. More information about all the racing action at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.