by Kimberly Rinker, OSDF Administrator
Northfield, OH — On a perfect summer night for racing that saw Aaron Merriman win eight races, the 2017 Driver of the Year guided 4-1 Northmedo Mission to victory in the first of two $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Monday (July 9) at Northfield Park.

JJ Zamaiko photo
Northmedo Mission cruised home for Aaron Merriman in 1:55 in the first $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes on July 9 at Northfield Park.
Trained by Mike Medors for the Northmedo Stable of Painesville, Ohio, the Manofmanymissions gelding was timed in 1:55 for the one mile contest. The homebred gelding had sat patiently through fractions of :27.3, :57 and 1:25.4 behind the pace-setting Pass The Vape before bursting from the pack of trotters to prevail with a :29 late brush. Northmedo Mission finished confidently 2-1/2 lengths ahead of 3-5 Pass The Vape (Derek Watiker) with 25-1 longshot Dontforgetmaster (Danny Noble) third, four lengths back.
Northmedo Mission pushed his seasonal earnings to $62,800 and his career earnings to $74,028, and now has eight wins, two seconds and a pair of thirds in 21 lifetime starts.
The second OSS division saw 2-1 Get The Cash and driver Greg Grismore score in 1:54.4 by a 5-1/2 length margin over 9-2 rival Uncle Buck (Aaron Merriman), after 1-2 favorite Mission Accepted made an uncharacteristic break behind the Northfield starting gate. Longshot (40-1) Dance Withsomebody and driver Robin Miller finished third.
Trained and co-owned by Kelly O’Donnell for Mark Maynard and Joe Palatas, Get The Cash, a son of Cash Hall, grabbed the lead away from Uncle Buck after a :28.3 first panel, trotting through fractions of :58 and 1:26.2 before unleashing a :28.2 late kick to notch his fifth victory of 2018 in seven starts.
Get The Cash upped his seasonal earnings to $62,100 and career earnings to $98,340. Lifetime, he’s amassed seven wins in 15 career starts. Bred by Walnut Hall, Get The Cash is the fifth of seven foals out of the unraced Tom Ridge mare Chatterly Hall.