Grove City, OH — Sugar Instead had a season that dreams are made of. An $11,000 auction purchase, Sugar Instead rose to be queen of the freshman Ohio filly trotters as she was named the 2023 2-Year-Old Ohio Trotting Filly of the Year.

Sugar Instead was named the 2023 2-Year-Old Ohio Trotting Filly of the Year. Conrad photo.

Purchased by Susan Sickle at the Blooded Horse Sale, Sugar Instead was sold to Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills before her first start. She won seven of 11 races. The only race she did not hit the board was the Breeders Crown final when she made a break around the final turn.

“We couldn’t be happier with the year she had,” said trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. “I really thought she had a shot in the Breeders Crown. She had trot, the earplugs were in and that would have been a tremendous year.”

The daughter of Volstead was the only horse to win all five legs of the Ohio Sires Stakes. She dominated the Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championship with a track record performance and won the Ohio Breeders Championship as she earned $373,925 in 2023.

Sugar Instead was bred by Elmer Miller.

Sugar Instead will be honored at the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association annual awards banquet on Jan. 13 at the Marriott Columbus OSU in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets to the banquet are $30 each and can be purchased by calling the OHHA office at 614.221.3650.

The 2023 Ohio Horse of the Year will be announced at the annual awards banquet.