by Kimberly Rinker, Administrator, Ohio Standardbred Development Fund

Columbus, OH — The 2016 Ohio Sires Stakes season gets underway Friday night (May 6), with 3-year-old trotting and pacing Buckeye-bred fillies in the spotlight at Miami Valley Raceway.

Three divisions of trotters (races one, four, eight) and five divisions of pacers (races two, six, seven, 10, 13), each vying for $40,000 in this first of four legs of Ohio Sires Stakes competition, highlight the 14-race card. Post time is 6:05 p.m. (EDT).

From 93 Ohio-bred 3-year-old pacing fillies nominated to the OSS this year, 41 will head to the racetrack in this first leg. As well, from 71 sophomore trotting fillies nominated to the 2016 program, 27 diagonally-gaited distaffs will score behind the starting gate.

Conrad photo

Miss Me Yet will be looking to get back into the win column in OSS action on Friday.

Miss Me Yet, the 2015 Ohio 2-year-old pacing filly champion, returns to the stomping grounds of her greatest triumphs. The daughter of I’m Gorgeous, out of the Western Hanover mare Live Inspired, is conditioned by Brenda Teague for George Teague, Jr. and the Teague Racing Partnership LLC.

Last season Miss Me Yet won two OSS legs and the $225,000 championship on Super Night. Driven by Montrell Teague, this speedy miss scored her freshman and career mark of 1:53.4 by winning an OSS leg on July 25 at Scioto Downs. She amassed $193,625 in earnings from four wins, two seconds and a third in eight seasonal trips postward. Winless this year in five starts, Miss Me Yet looks well-poised for her connections in the second OSS division (race six) from post five.

Other top contenders from last season making their foray into this year’s Ohio Sires Stakes include the Jim Dailey-trained My Tweed Heart (race seven) p,3,1:53.1f ($145,202), who won a pair of OSS legs at Northfield Park in 2016; and the Mark Winters Sr.-conditioned Naked By Nine (race 13) p,2,1:54.1f ($61,690), who scored her career record winning an OSS leg on Sept. 4 at Scioto Downs.

Another top pacing contender from 2015 is John’s Sunny Girl (race two) p,2,1:53.2f ($92,530), trained by Doug Hinklin for the Parent Racing Stable. This daughter of Big Bad John won OSS events at both Scioto Downs and Northfield Park last season and makes her 3-year-old debut Friday.

Trainer Marty Wollam sends out Count On Kami 2,1:58.1f ($179,841) for her seasonal debut Friday night in the second (race four) of the three OSS trotting divisions. The daughter of Full Count finished second in all four of her OSS legs last year as a freshman and finally gave up the bridesmaid role by capturing the $225,000 championship on Super Night at Scioto Downs, when she established her career record. The hardy brown filly amassed a 1-7-1 record in nine starts.

Multiple OSS freshman winner Kerfuffle Cookie vies in this same division for trainer Chris Beaver and will be looking for her second victory of the 2016 season. The daughter of Chip Chip Hooray earned $75,170 as a freshman, taking her mark of 1:58 in an OSS test on July 25. Kerfuffle Cookie leaves from the coveted rail slot, while Count On Kami will have to overcome the dreaded eight-hole.

Consolidator 3,Q1:57F ($77,616) carries the colors of the Green Acquisition Corp. postward from the rail in the first division (race one) for sophomore filly trotters. Trained by Jim Arledge Jr., the daughter of Triumphant Caviar recorded two victories in 2015 — one each at Scioto Downs and Northfield Park — both in OSS competition, from just five freshmen starts. She makes her debut for these same connections Friday night.

Evanora 2,1:58.4h ($72,050), the flashy chestnut daughter of Pilgrim’s Taj, is another Chris Beaver trainee who starts from post nine in the third OSS division (race eight). Despite dealing with breaking issues early last season, Evanora did win a pair of OSS tests — both impressively at Northfield Park in wire-to-wire fashion — as a 2-year-old.