Columbus, OH – Midnight Haze and driver Chris Lems took the fastest split of the rescheduled $20,000 Buckeye Stallion Series event for 2-year-old filly pacers in 1:52.3 at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Thursday (Sept. 3).
Leaving from post 7, Midnight Haze got away third as Our Grey Heart (driven by Tyler Smith) hit the opening quarter in :28.1. Making the lead before the :56.2 half, Midnight Haze led through the 1:24.3 third quarter and won by 3 lengths over Our Grey Heart; Tina Fire (Austin Hanners) was third.
Midnight Haze, by Dancin Yankee out of the Always A Virgin mare Mary Goodnight, is a homebred for Dr. Michael Latessa, Ashley Miller and trainer Edward Miller. It was the second third win in five lifetime starts for the filly who now has $28,400 earned.
Other splits were won by Gillette (1:52.4), Sempre B Bella (1:53) and Sea Jazz (1:53.3).
Gillette (Justin Irvine) led through splits of :27.4, :56.4 and 1:24.2 before winning by three-quarters of a length over DS Ava (Lems); Apple By The Sea (Luke Hanners) was third.
Owned by trainer Garry Martin and B Kleinberg Racing, Lee Unkefer and Martin Holden, Gillette now has two wins in seven lifetime starts and $26,100 in earnings. The Lather Up filly out of the Dragon Again mare Baby’s In Black, bred by Sugar Valley Farm and Johnny Smith, was a $38,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase.
Sempre B Bella (Smith) won the first division after getting away sixth from post 4 as Ides Of April (L. Hanners) led through fractions of :27.2 and :56.3. Pulling second-over, Sempre B Bella followed MBT The Tanks (Sam Widger), who challenged the leader through the 1:25.1 third quarter. Sempre B Bella came three-wide around the last turn to make the lead by the top of the stretch and won by a half-length over a fast-closing Stormin Suds (Kayne Kauffman); MBT The Tanks was third.
Owned by trainer Steve Carter and Haley Carter, Sempre B Bella now has $16,951 earned in four lifetime starts with two wins. By Monte Miki out of the Art Major mare Bella Marta, Sempre B Bella was a $16,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Vincent Costa Jr.
Sea Jazz was victorious in gate-to-wire fashion with Ronnie Gillespie in the bike for trainer Ryan Miller. Leading through fractions of :27.3, :58.1 and 1:25.1, Sea Jazz won by a length over pocket-sitter Can’tcatchthelady (Widger); Poseformiki (Irvine) was third.
Sea Jazz, by Downbytheseaside out of the Betting Line mare Jazzed, was a $70,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Marvin Troyer. Thursday’s win was the filly’s fourth in a row from seven starts; she now has $35,420 earned for owners Miller Racing Stable, Chris Gilbert, Redracer, and Roger Miller Jeff Bankey.
Racing continues Friday and Saturday, each with a 16-race card starting at 5:25 p.m. (EDT). There will be a special Labor Day card on Monday (Sept. 7) instead of the normal Tuesday card.
Next week, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12, Scioto will host the Ohio Sires Stakes Championships. Each division is scheduled for $400,000 but if enough horses enter, the races will be split into a $100,000 Gray Championship to be held on Friday and $300,000 Scarlet Championship to be held on Saturday. Other Saturday festivities include an obstacle course bounce house for kids, T-shirt tosses and OHSS swag give-a-way, photo booth located inside the north clubhouse entrance, tumbler cups when you buy a program and a second chance drawing for a $100 win wager. Saturday’s racing events will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 with Jessica Otten hosting.
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.