by Kimberly Rinker, Administrator, Ohio Standardbred Development Fund

Columbus, OH — Sixteen Ohio-bred trotting fillies will line up behind the Scioto Downs starting gate on Friday evening (July 14) in a pair of $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes. Post time is 6:30 p.m. (EDT).

Featured as the second and third races on the program, these OSS events are the third round of action in the four-leg series for 3-year-old diagonally-gaited females. Leg one was held May 1 at Miami Valley Raceway, while leg two was at Northfield Park on June 17. Leg four is scheduled for Aug. 25 at Scioto Downs, with the $250,000 championship set for Sept. 2 at this same oval.

Ohio stallions represented in this pair of contests include Dejarmbo, with seven progeny; Triumphant Caviar with three; and Break The Bank K with two of his fillies competing. And Away We Go, Chip Chip Hooray, Iron Duke and Neely Dunn are represented by one filly each. As well, five of the 16 fillies are homebreds.

JJ Zamaiko photo

Gabbysloosechange will be seeking her third straight OSS score.

Trainer Chris Beaver will harness two contestants in the first OSS (race two). Gabbysloosechange, who he owns in partnership with breeder Johanna Beaver, captured the first two legs of this series easily, in 1:57.2 (leg one) and 1:54.4 (leg two). The daughter of Triumphant Caviar — unraced at two — comes into this event with $48,500 in her coffers from four wins and a second in six starts.

Beaver’s other charge is Bamaslastchance, who was third and second, respectively, in the first two legs of this series. Bred by Vernon E. Miller, the Iron Duke filly has $100,861 in her bankroll and took a mark of 1:55.3 at Scioto on May 10. She’s owned in partnership by Beaver, Synerco Ventures, Steve Zeehandelar, and Mark Robinson and starts from the seven-hole with Aaron Merriman in the sulky.

Hailing from the Marty Wollam stable is the hard-trying Purple Sona, a Dejarmbo filly who finished second and fifth in her previous OSS tests this year. A winner of $49,336 to date, Purple Sona was bred by the Double Spring Farm and is owned by Acadia Farms, Dale Sweet, and G&B Racing. She took a career mark of 1:56.3 at The Meadows earlier this season. Kurt Sugg drives from post four.

Rose Run Sydney, undefeated in her last four starts — including both OSS legs — hails from post seven in the second OSS division (race three) with Jason Brewer at the controls. Trained by Steve Carter, the Triumphant Caviar lass has career earnings of $157,067 and will be trying for her 12 lifetime victory. Bred by the Rose Run Farm, this brown filly — who sports a mark of 1:55.3 taken in OSS-leg two at Northfield on June 17 — is owned by Carter, Adam Friedland, and Rbr Racing.

Chim Swift, another Chris Beaver trainee, leaves from post six for driver Aaron Merriman. This homebred Triumphant Caviar filly won her first OSS leg in 1:57.3, and was second to stablemate Gabbyloosechange in the second OSS leg, clocked in 1:55. A winner of $143,970 lifetime for the partnership of Beaver and Wilbur Stoll Lang, Chim Swift will be trying for career victory number five.

Joyce McClelland’s Let’s Get Started has yet to regain the form that made her Ohio’s 2016 Horse of the Year. After winning three OSS legs and the $250,000 OSS championship last year, she won the $57,220 Ohio Breeders Championship at Delaware and was retired for the season with earnings of $243,910 as a 2-year-old. Brought back carefully this year by Danny Collins, she’s had two starts and a series of qualifiers at Scioto Downs and Hoosier Park in preparation for this OSS event. The homebred daughter by Dejarmbro will be driven by Chris Page from post eight.