Columbus, OH — Driver Aaron Merriman took three divisions of Ohio State Fair action Friday (Aug. 4) at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

Merriman took two out of the three 2-year-old trotting colt divisions.

Royal Precedent won the first $56,500 2-year-old trotting colt division in 1:56.1. Conrad photo.

Royal Precedent won the first $56,500 division in 1:56.1. Merriman left from the six hole and got the pocket trip for the opening quarter of :28, after which the 1-2 race favorite took the lead through the :57.1 half and 1:26.2 three-quarters. The Creatine gelding bested Do Whats Right (Brett Miller) by a head, with Hung Over (Chris Page) finishing third.

Owned by Claude Gendreau Stable Inc. and trained by Sam Schillaci, Royal Precedent now has $89,000 in career earnings in five starts with four wins. The winner paid $3.00.

The $56,500 second division went to Spaaaanzano and Merriman. The duo went straight for the front just before the :28.1 opening quarter and led through :58.1 and 1:27.2 fractions. Commander Tom (Miller) came first up but couldn’t get to the leader. Spaaaanzano won by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:55.4. Smooth Talkin (Don Irvine Jr.) finished third.

Spaaaanzano is owned by Spaaaartners, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and trainer Chris Beaver. The Coraggioso gelding now has $150,750 in earnings and is a perfect four-for-four. The 1-5 race favorite paid $2.60.

Tennessee Tom took the $56,500 third and final division in 1:57.3 with Page up for Ron Burke. Parked through the first turn from the six hole, Tennessee Tom hit the quarter in :29.1 and comfortably led the rest of the mile, hitting fractions of :59.3 and 1:29.3. Pocket sitter Rose Run Zoom (Irvine) finished 2-1/2 lengths back in second with Ok Corral (Merriman) getting up for third.

Tennessee Tom, going off as the 1-2 favorite paid $3.00 to win and is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Hatfield Stables and Knox Services Inc. The Long Tom gelding now has three wins in five starts and $105,750 in seasonal earnings.

Brett Miller’s first of two State Fair wins was in the $77,000 first division of the 3-year-old filly pace with Cruise Alert in 1:51. Fear Of Sports (Tony Hall) left from the eight hole with Cruise Alert and Miller pulling midway through the turn to take the lead just after the :26.1 opening quarter. The duo set fractions of :55.1 and 1:22.3 with Kassagi (Sam Widger) launching a first over bid. Dragon By The Sea (Tyler Smith) tipped three wide going into the last turn to only be beaten by a half-length for the win. Kassagi held off a cavalry charge to finish third.

Cruise Alert, by Yankee Cruiser, is trained by Jeff Nisonger for Our Three Sons Stable and Nisonger Stable. In 10 starts Cruise Alert has five wins and $131,150 in seasonal earnings. Going off at 4-1, the winner paid $10.40.

Taking the $77,000 second division was Racing For Three and Tyler Smith, also in 1:51. Smith ducked the Western Terror filly from third and got away sixth while Super Girl (Hall) took the field to a snappy :25.4 opening quarter. Hysterical (Josh Sutton) was caught wide and took over by the three-eighths but Super Girl quickly launched a bid to re-take by the :54.2 half. Racing For Three was then second over going to the 1:22 third quarter but slipped to the inside before the turn. Sam Widger took Lofty Treasure three-wide and Racing For Three slipped between her and Super Girl to win by a length. Lofty Treasure was second and Absolute Euphoria came from the back of the pack to finish third.

Racing For Three, trained by AJ Carlo for owner/breeder C2G Stable and Carlo Racing, now has $86,220 earned in 11 season’s starts with five wins. Going off at 12-1 the winner paid $26.40.

Both Merriman and Miller took a division of the 3-year-old trotting filly races.

Waddupgee took the $75,500 first division in 1:54.4. Doc’s Boo Boo (Nisonger) and Chulada (Tyler Smith) played hopscotch during the opening half with fractions of :27.1 and :56.1. By the half Merriman had Waddupgee third over and after the 1:24.1 third quarter, pulled her three-wide coming out of the last turn. By the end of the mile, Waddupgee had bested Doc’s Boo Boo by 1-1/4 lengths. Truly Relentless (Page) rounded out the trifecta.

Waddupgee, by Triumphant Caviar, is co-owned by Steven Zeehandelar and breeder/trainer Beaver. Now with four wins in 11 starts this year, she has $87,900 in seasonal earnings. Going off at 12-1, Waddupgee paid $26.20 to win.

Rose Run Yolanda took the $75,500 second division by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:53. Leaving from post six, Miller initially got the race favorite off the car in third, but just as they got close to the opening quarter of :27.2, he pulled the daughter of Triumphant Caviar. They made the lead before the :56 half and took the field to the third quarter in 1:24.4. Rose Run Yanae challenged throughout the last turn and down the stretch, but had to settle for second. Swinging Senorita finished third.

Fresh off a second place finish in a Del Miller division at The Meadowlands, Rose Run Yolanda paid $2.80 to win. She has now finished first or second in all eight of her 2023 starts, earning $172,836. She is trained by Todd Luther and owned by Greg Luther Racing.

Ohio State Fair action concludes Saturday (Aug. 5) with colts — 2-year-old trotters, 3-year-old pacers and 3-year-old trotters. First post is 5:50 p.m. Special promotions throughout the weekend include family “state fair” type activities including a petting zoo on Friday, food trucks and bounce house.

Racing is held at Scioto Downs each Tuesday and Wednesday with a 3:15 p.m. first post and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with a 5:50 p.m. first post through Saturday (Sept. 16). Follow @SciotoRacing on Twitter for all the details of the 2023 racing season at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

More information about the entire Scioto Downs racing season, including race schedule, wagering menu, VIP room reservations and more can be found at www.SciotoDowns.com.