by Kimberly Rinker, OSDF Administrator

Columbus, OH — From July 1 through July 5, Ohio-bred 2- and 3-year-old trotters and pacers of both genders will compete in Ohio Sires Stakes (OSS) events at Northfield Park and Scioto Downs.

Beginning Saturday night (July 1), four $40,000 OSS divisions of 3-year-old pacing colts will line up behind the Northfield Park starting gate to vie in the third leg of the series. On Monday evening (July 3), five $40,000 OSS divisions of freshman trotting fillies will be in the spotlight at the Cleveland half-mile in leg one action. Post time both evenings is 6 pm, ET.

On July 4, eight $40,000 OSS divisions (leg one) of 2-year-old pacing colts will battle at Scioto Downs in a special matinee program with a 2 pm, ET post. Six OSS divisions for 2-year-old pacing fillies go postward Wednesday evening (6:30 p.m. post) at Scioto Downs, with each round one OSS division sporting a $40,000 purse.

Conrad photo

Drunk On Your Love hopes to win his third Ohio Sires Stakes leg for owners Mark Ford and Jason Settlemoir on Saturday night.

Twenty-nine sophomore pacers passed the Northfield entry box in the 3-year-old pacing colt category for Saturday (July 1), with these OSS-eligibles battling in races one, three, five and eight. Youngsters represented by Ohio stallions include Big Bad John with nine; McArdle (eight); Art’s Chip, Art Official, Foreclosure N, The Panderosa and Woodstock (two each); and lastly, World Of Rocknroll and Charley Barley (one each).

Trainer Jim Pollock Jr., sends out Drunk On Your Love (race one), the only sophomore in this class who has won both legs of the series, as the son of Foreclosure N did so on May 2 at Miami Valley in 1:54 and on June 10 at Scioto Downs in 1:51.2. In both of those starts he moved from the back of the pack at the three-quarter marker and stormed home in commanding fashion. Owned by Mark Ford and Jason Settlemoir, Drunk On Your Love has $123,500 in career earnings. He was bred by Harold Lee and Harold L. Bauder.

Trainer Brian Brown sends out five male pacers, including OSS leg one winners McRaven (race one) and Lightning Onmyfeet (race five) and leg two winners McThriller (race three) and Barnabas (race eight), along with White Jet (race eight), who finished second and sixth in the first two legs.

Monday night (July 3) at Northfield Park, harness fans will get their first look at an exciting group of 2-year-old trotting fillies as five divisions of these femme fatales take center stage.

Ohio-based stallions represented by these first timers include Manofmanymissions (eight), Dejarmbro (six), My MVP (five), and Stormin Normand (four). Break The Bank K, Dontyouforgetit and Cash Hall each have three of their progeny competing, while Triumphant Caviar and Winning Fireworks each have two fillies vying. Amigo Hall, Clocked At Eighty, Full Count and Trainforthefuture each have one foal going postward in this class.

A few of the notables in here include Carl Atley and Richard Lombardo’s Flower Hour (Dejarmbro-Lightning Flower), a Jim Dailey trainee who won a pair of back-to-back Scioto qualifiers on June 12 and 19, in 2:01.4 and 2:01.2 respectively. Look for her to be a powerful filly (race one) despite having the seven-hole.

Charlene Freppel’s Oh My My My won her June 27 pari-mutuel debut at Hoosier Park in 2:01.4 for trainer/driver Joe Essig Jr. The daughter of My MVP-Katie Katie Katie is the only filly in the second division (race) to have money on her card ($3,750) and starts from post eight.

Looking For Zelda is a hard-trying Break The Bank K-My Winning Way K lass who leaves from post one (race three) for owner/breeder Robert Key and trainer Norm Parker. In her June 22 qualifier at The Meadows, she was timed in a triumphant 2:00.4 for driver Tony Hall, who’ll be in the bike for her Northfield debut.

Non Smoker, a grey daughter by My MVP-Maple Grove Smoky scored a seven-length triumph in 2:00.1 in her June 26 Scioto qualifier for trainer Dan Noble and owner Stephen Sexton. She vies from post eight (race five) with her trainer at the lines.

Red Storm scored consecutive winning qualifiers—the first at Delaware on June 15 and the second at Northfield on June 22—in sweet, wire-to-wire style for trainer Chris Beaver and driver Aaron Merriman. The chestnut daughter of Stormin Normand-Ms Pollyanna was bred by owner Sandra Burnett and will leave from post five (race five).

Cindi Hall is another Beaver trainee who’s qualified impressively prior to her OSS debut Monday night, with a 2:04.2 victory at Delaware on June 15 and a 2:00.2 score at Northfield on June 22. The bay daughter of Cash Hall-Colleen Hall gets the rail spot (race five) with Peter Wrenn driving.

Tickle My Fancy is a My MVP-Fancy Fern Yankee lass who bears watching (race 12) from post four. Josh Sutton drives the 2:01.1 Scioto Downs qualifying-winner for trainer Bob Phillips and Illinois owners John and Mary Krasnican.

A total of 72 OSS freshman pacers battle on July 4 at Scioto Downs, with a special matinee post of 2 p.m., ET. Ohio stallions represented in this first leg action include 20 youngsters sired by Pet Rock; 12 by the ill-fated Dragon Again; nine each by McArdle and Big Bad John; four each by We Will See and Woodstock and three by Art Official. Art’s Chip, Charley Barley, Feelin Friskie, I’m Gorgeous, Mr Apples, No Pan Intended, Shark Gesture, The Panderosa, World Of Rocknroll and Yankee Cruiser all have one foal each competing Tuesday afternoon.

Trainer Jeff Smith’s Letsallrock (race one, post four) turned in an impressive, 1:56.1 Scioto Downs qualifier on June 26 for driver Tyler Smith as did the Jim Dailey-conditioned Rockathon (race one, post six) on June 12 at Scioto Downs, when he paced to a winning 1:56 for owners Carl and Melanie Atley. Both of these appropriately-named youngsters are by Ohio sire Pet Rock with Lestallrock out of Noseitall and Rockathon’s dam is Pantathlon.

Kenneth Kohut’s MT Adams twice paced to winning Northfield Park qualfiers, besting his rivals by a combined 24-1/2 lengths.The son of McArcle-Nuke’s Last Dream first triumphed with a 1:56.4 score on June 15 and then a 1:55.1 victory one week later for trainer Kent Sherman. MT Adams drew the eight hole (race five) for driver Ryan Stahl Tuesday afternoon.

Trainer/owner/breeder Brenda Teague’s Delaware Chrome, a son of Mr Apples-Sheisaknockout, appears to be the real deal by virtue of his 1:55.2 winning qualifier scored on June 27 at Harrah’s Philadephia. The bay colt was in rein to Montrell Teague who guided the youngster to a four-length victory with ease. He’ll start from post four (race seven).

Trainer Ronnie Burke will harness Seeing Eye Single for his pari-mutuel debut from post four (race 10). This unaltered son of Dragon Again-Shabalabadindong scored back-to-back winning qualifiers at The Meadows on June 8 and 15, with triumphant times of 1:59 and 1:54.4.

Born To Be Bad made his June 27 debut a winning one, pacing gate to wire in 1:54.3 with Josh Sutton at the lines. Trained by Ron Steck for owners George Green and Marie Trombetta, the son of Big Bad John-Cruzin Angel will try for career victory number two from post nine (race 11).

Jo Jo’s Pet Rock is a Virgil Morgan Jr., trainee with a trio of qualifiers under his belt–the last two at Scioto on June 19 and 26 as winning ones. The son of Pet Rock-Dragon’s Jojo first won in 1:58.2 and followed that seven days later with a 1:56.3 score. Jo Jo’s Pet Rock has been assigned the eight-hole (race 13) in the field of nine.

Fifty-seven freshman filly pacers passed the Scioto Downs entry box for Wednesday (July 5) as OSS action continues for first round combatants.

Again, the stallion Pet Rock has the top number of starters in these freshman ranks, with 11 of his fillies going postward Wednesday. Dragon Again is represented by eight fillies; Big Bad John (seven); McArdle (six); Art Official and The Panderosa (four each). The stallions Believeinbruiser, Feelin Friskie, I’m Gorgeous, Shark Gesture, We Will See and Woodstock each have two fillies competing, while Allamerican Native, Art’s Chip, Manhardt, World of Rocknroll and Yankee Cruiser are all represented by one progeny in these events.

Fillies who look poised for fine efforts include trainer Kent Sherman’s Lucille Amarone (race three, post position three)—owned by driver Ryan Stahl and Nichole Stahl. This chestnut daughter by The Panderosa-Pacific Bay recorded a 1:58.1 clocking on June 15 at Northfield and returned a week later to score a 1:58.4 triumph by 3-3/4 lengths with her owner at the controls.

Poppe Lane Farm’s JP Silver (race five, post two) scored a winning 2:03.2 effort on June 20 at the Ottawa Fair, the daughter of Mcardle-Wings Of Silver then paced to a triumphant 1:57.1 clocking on June 28 at Hoosier Park. Jeff Nisonger is slated to drive for trainer Chris Hope.

Fred Huff, Jr.’s Barb And Tena cruised to a 2:04.3 victory at the Circleville Fair for driver Dan Noble, then notched a 7-3/4 length, 1:57 victory in a June 26 Scioto Downs qualifier. The Feelin Friskie-Breathless Beauty lass hails from the seven hole (race seven) for this same driver.

Believe In Waco (race seven, post eight), a bay Believeinbruiser-Waco Sharon filly, has a trio of victories to her credit already in her young career. She first won at Norwalk on June 7 in 2:05; then at Paulding on June 12 in 2:00.1; and lastly, at Scioto Downs on June 20 in 1:56.4. Thus, she’s one of the few fillies on the program to have banked money ($6,527) for her owner/breeder, Gerald Mijal.

Another distaffer with money on her card ($7,500) early in her career is the Steve Carter-trained Filou Fly Fast (race 10, post five) who has four wins in four starts. Three came at the county fairs and the daughter of Allamerican Native-Windsong Filou last paced to a 1:56.4 victory by nearly 20 lengths in a June 26 Scioto qualifier.

As well, the Ron Burke conditioned Thrill Seeker (race 10, post eight) scored back-to-back winning qualifiers at The Meadows. The daughter of McArdle-You Thrill Me scored in 1:59.4 on June 8 and on June 22 paced to a 1:57 triumph for driver Mike Wilder.

In this same event (race 10, post 10), Jetstream Mystic won a pair of Hoosier Park qualifiers (on June 10 & 21) in 2:00.2 and lastly in 1:56.4. Kayne Kauffman drives the daughter of Big Bad John-Isn’t She Cute for trainer Joe Essig and owner James Wampler.