by Kimberly Rinker, OSDF Administrator

Columbus, OH — Diagonally-gaited Standardbreds vying in eight Ohio Sires Stakes (OSS) highlight a weekend of racing at Northfield Park. Six $40,000 OSS divisions for 2-year-old trotters are on tap for Saturday night (July 8) at the “Home of the Flying Turns,” while two OSS will be contested on Monday night (July 10) at the Cleveland half-miler.

Conrad photo

Fraser Ridge heads the first of two $40,000 OSS events on Monday evening.

A total of 46 freshman trotters passed the Northfield Park entry box for leg one of the four-leg series. Continuing his dominance of the trotting ranks is the stallion Dejarmbro, who is represented by 12 foals in Saturday’s OSS contests. Both Cash Hall and Manofmanymissions have seven foals each competing, while Break The Bank K has five and stallions Dontyouforgetit and My MVP are each represented by four of their progeny. Triumphant Caviar has three of his youngsters going postward, with And Away We Go, Full Count, Neely Dunn and Winning Fireworks each having a single foal in this first round of action for neophyte trotters.

As evidence of the enhanced Ohio program for state-bred harness horses, New Jersey-based trotting guru Jimmy Takter ventures into the Midwest with Wolfgang, a son of My MVP-Summer Savory, who has scored a pair of impressive qualifiers prior to his Northfield Park visit.

Bred by Fair Island Farm, this bay colt trotted to a 1:58.4 clocking at The Meadowlands on June 17, then rocked to a 1:56.1 winning effort on July 1 at The Big M with his trainer in the sulky. He trotted his final panels in :27.3 and :27.1 respectively and gets North America’s leading reinsman Aaron Merriman in the sulky for his Northfield debut. Owned by Brixton Medical, NJ; G Falk, NJ; Hatfield Stables, Ohio; and Fair Island Farm, Ky., Wolfgang is the fastest starter thus far of any colts in the 2-year-old trotting ranks, and leaves from post five in the first division (race one).

Another youngster with impressive credentials is the Cash Hall-Chatterly Hall gelding Get The Cash, who starts from post two in the sixth division (race 10). Trained by Kelly O’Donnell for Mark Maynard, Fairview Park, Ohio; Joe Palatas, Hudson, Ohio; and KO Racing Stables, Sagamore Heights, Ohio, Get The Cash had a pair of winning qualifiers: first at The Meadows on June 8 in 2:03.1 and then at Northfield on June 15 in 2:02, before posting a 1:57.2 clocking by four lengths in a Scioto Downs overnighter on June 29. Dave Palone gets the nod on Cash Hall, who was bred by Walnut Hall Limited.

Fourteen trotters in two OSS divisions will line up behind the gate on Monday (July 10) in leg three of this series for 3-year-old colts and geldings. Leg One winners Fraser Ridge and Full Surge square off in the first division (race one) from posts three and four. Fraser Ridge captured both of his OSS legs—on May 2 at Miami Valley in 1:56.2 and on June 19 at Scioto Downs in 1:56. The son of Triumphant Caviar is conditioned and co-owned by Chris Beaver and has $202,595 in career earnings for partners D. Robinson, Cardington, Ohio; R Mondillo, Delaware, Ohio, and RBH Ventures of New York, N.Y. Chris Page handles the driving assignment.

Full Surge won OSS leg one on May 2 at Miami Valley in 1:57.1 but made an uncharacteristic break in leg two and failed to garner a check. Trained by Miles Wollam, the son of Full Count has amassed career earnings of $76,551 for ME Wollam, Vienna, Ohio; AN Fusco, Vienna, Ohio; RR Wollam, Vienna, Ohio; and RR Roll, Ostrander, Ohio. Marty Wollam will be in the sulky behind Full Surge.

Star Buster, who has finished first in his last five starts, head ups the second OSS division (race three). The son of Deep Chip was second in leg two of this series on June 19 at Scioto Downs, when he was runner-up to the winning Lord Of The Reigns in 1:55.3. Trained by Jeff Cox for Michael Soehnlen of Dalton, Ohio, the homebred Star Buster has $74,696 in his career coffers and will have Ryan Stahl in the sulky from post three.