by Kimberly Rinker, OSDF Administrator
Columbus, OH — A trio of Ohio Sires Stakes for 3-year-old diagonally-gaited colts and geldings will go postward on Friday night (June 15) at Scioto Downs, featuring 25 Ohio-breds racing for a purse of $40,000 in each division (races one, two and five). First race post time is 6:30 p.m. (EDT).
All three OSS leg one winners (Mission Accepted, Northmedo Mission and Sultan Of Cash) are set to return for round two action.

Conrad photo
Northmedo Mission strides out for driver Aaron Merriman to win his leg one Ohio Sires Stakes division at Miami Valley. He’ll go postward in the first of three Friday night at Scioto Downs.
Mission Accepted, an unaltered son of Manofmanymissions vies from post two in the first division (race one), while Northmedo Mission, a Manofmanymissions gelding, starts from post three in this same event. Sultan Of Cash, a Cash Hall gelding, leaves from post two in the third division (race five).
Five of these 25 trotting combatants are trying for their first victory as 3-year-olds: Dance Withsomebody, Dontforgetmaster, Rising MVP, Magic MVP and Cash Lane.
Six of the youngsters did not start in leg one of this series and are undertaking OSS action for the first time this season: Cordoba Hall, Last Mission, Vote For Pedro, Rising MVP, Ride The Rails and Manny L; and only two — Vote For Pedro and Secret Bro — did not race as freshmen in 2017.
Eight of the 25 sophomores will utilize trotting hobbles: Mission Accepted, Two OB Wonkenobi, Doc Mossies Legacy, Cordoba Hall, Vote For Pedro, Rising MVP, Ride The Rails and Cash Lane.
Of the 25 OSS entrants, 19 are geldings and six are colts, with two earning $100,000 or more: Mission Accepted ($235,800) and Sultan Of Cash ($173,965).
For a colt to be eligible to the OSS program, they must have been sired by a stallion registered with the Ohio State Racing Commission standing in Ohio the year of conception. Stallions represented in these three OSS events include Dejarmbro (with six foals); Cash Hall (with five foals); Break The Bank K and Manofmanymissions (with four foals each); My MVP (with three foals); and Dontyouforgetit, Stormin Normand and Winning Fireworks with one foal each.
As well, broodmare sires that are prominent among the 25 trotting colts and geldings include Tom Ridge and Conway Hall (three foals each); Credit Winner, Donerail, Garland Lobell and Kadabra (two foals each).
In the training ranks, Jim Arledge, Jr. and Rich Gillock will each send out a pair of competitors.
Arledge will harness Dontforgetmaster — who was fourth in leg one at Miami Valley on May 6 to Sultan Of Cash — from post five in the second division (race two); and Last Mission, a newcomer to the series, from the rail in the third division (race five). Gillock bridles up Ride The Rails — also a newcomer — from post six in that same event, and Banker Twentyfive, who was fifth in leg one, from post six in the first division (race one).
Of the 25 trotters, many are owned in partnerships or by a solo owner that includes 30 Ohioans; six Pennsylvanians; five Indiana owners; three owners each from New Jersey and Canada; two from Kentucky; and one each from Michigan and Illinois.
Breeder Walnut Hall is represented by three sophomores in two divisions: Sand Cash and Get The Cash in the first division (race one) and newcomer Cordoba Hall in the second division (race two). Owner/breeder Robert Key sends out two homebreds: Banker Twentyfive in the first division (race one) and Ride The Rails in the third division (race five).
And speaking of homebreds, another six trotters were also bred by their owners: Mission Accepted (race one) was bred by co-owner Knox Services; Northmedo Mission (race one), bred by Northmedo Stable; Joggingtothebank (race two) was bred and is owned by Dale and Julie Sweet and trainer Marty Wollam; Pass The Vape (race two) was bred by owner Lionel Ray Waitker; Icingon De Cupcake (race five) was bred by partners William Jeff Johnson II and Douglas Millard; and Magic MVP (race five) was bred and is owned by Midnight Stables.