Grove City, OH – Three horses — Demonic Niko, She’safirewoman, and Ready Russell — are looking to stay perfect in this year’s Ohio Sires Stakes as Eldorado Scioto Downs hosts the fourth leg for freshmen as part of a big night of racing on Saturday (Aug. 23).
Saturday’s lineup of OSS races includes two $65,000 divisions for filly pacers and three $50,000 divisions each for filly trotters and colt pacers and trotters. The 11 OSS races are part of a 16-race card with purses totaling $1 million. The card also includes two $100,000 Grand Circuit races — the Moni Maker for 3-year-old filly trotters and the Nadia Lobell for 3-year-old filly pacers — and two $100,000 invitationals — the #SendItIn Invitational and the Cleopatra Invitational — as well as a $20,000 Open II. First-race post time is 5:45 p.m.
Dan Noble will drive Ready Russell and Demonic Niko in their quests to make it 4-for-4.
Ready Russell is the even-money morning-line favorite in the second division of male trotters and will leave from post seven. The Deborah Swartz-trained Ready For Moni gelding won a division in the opening leg of the OSS at Scioto in a lifetime-best 1:55 and posted victories in each of the next two legs at MGM Northfield Park in 1:56.4 and 1:56.2, respectively. Overall, he has four wins in five seasonal starts with $83,800 in earnings. King Of The World (Tim Tetrick) is the 5-2 second choice. The Erv Miller trainee will be making his first career start in a purse race.
At 3-1, Demonic Niko opened as the co-second choice with Godusa (Tetrick) in the first division of filly trotters behind 5-2 morning-line favorite Setyoursightshigh (Mike Wilder). Trained by Marcus Melander, Setyoursightshigh has hit the board in all five starts this season with four wins and one second and has earnings of $215,000. The In Rage filly won the Next Generation for 2-year-old filly trotters at Scioto in 1:56.3 and owns a lifetime best of 1:53.1, set at The Red Mile on July 30. This marks her first OSS start of the season. Demonic Niko posted a lifetime-best 1:55.4 in her opening-leg win at Scioto and went on to earn a victory in each of the next two legs at Northfield in 1:57.1 and 1:56.2, respectively. Overall, the In Range filly has five wins and one second in six seasonal starts with $167,750 in earnings. She is trained by Erv Miller. Godusa, a winner in the first leg in a lifetime-best 1:53.3, has two victories and one third in four starts this season. The Ready For Moni filly is trained by Nancy Takter.
The third horse looking to stay perfect, She’safirewoman (Luke Hanners), is the 2-1 second
choice in the second division of filly pacers behind 9-5 morning-line favorite Shacarri (Chris Page), who will leave from post nine. A Summa Cum Laude filly trained by Ron Burke, Shacarri was a winner in the third leg in 1:55 after finishing as the runner-up to She’safirewoman in the second leg. She has three wins and one second in five seasonal starts with $109,075 in earnings and a lifetime best of 1:51.1 set at Scioto. Trained by Mark Winters, She’safirewoman recorded a lifetime-best 1:51.4 in her second-leg win at Scioto. Her victories in the first and third legs at Northfield came in 1:54.3 and 1:54.2, respectively. The Catch The Fire filly has five wins and one second with $111,689 in earnings in six seasonal starts.
In other action on Saturday …
Male Trotters
Three prior winners in this year’s OSS — Bitcoin King (Tyler Smith), Ur Ride Is Here (Brady Brown), and Water Slide (Aaron Merriman) — are in the first division. Ur Ride Is Here is the slight 5-2 morning-line favorite over 3-1 second choice Water Slide, while Bitcoin King is the 7-2 third choice. Trained by Steve Schoeffel, Ur Ride Is Here posted his lone win of the season in the first leg in 1:59. The Ready For Moni gelding was third in the second leg. Another Ready For Moni gelding, Water Slide has hit the board in five of six starts this season with his lone win coming in the second leg in 1:58.1. He was the runner-up to Ur Ride Is Here and Bitcoin King in the first and third legs, respectively. The Chris Beaver trainee will leave from the rail alongside Ur Ride Is Here in post two. Uncle Peter colt Bitcoin King is also trained by Beaver. He has hit the board in all four seasonal starts with his lone victory coming in the third leg in 1:58.2. He was third in each of the other two legs.
Two-time OSS winner Special Moni (Ty. Smith) is the 7-2 third choice in the third division behind 3-2 morning-line favorite Big Ranger (Ronnie Gillespie) and 5-2 second choice Tom Largo (Chris Lems). Trained by Gillespie, Big Ranger is 3-for-3 this season, winning the Next Generation for 2-year-old male trotters in a lifetime-best 1:54 and posting victories in the opening leg of the OSS in 1:54.4 and the Ohio State Fair Stakes in 1:56. The In Range colt has $128,000 in earnings. He will leave from post four next to Tom Largo in post three. Tom Largo has three wins in five starts this season. The Long Tom gelding is trained by Scott Cox. Special Moni won a division in each of the second and third legs in 1:58.3 and 1:56.4, respectively. The Ready For Moni gelding is trained by Beaver. Rose Run Banker (Page), a winner in the first leg in 1:56.1, is 6-1.
Male Pacers
Pet Project (Trevor Smith) opened as the 8-5 favorite in the first division. A winner in the third leg in 1:53.3, the Kimberly Dailey trainee placed third in the opening leg. Overall, the Pet Rock gelding has two wins and one third in four seasonal starts. I’llbetyourboots (Page) is the 2-1 second choice. Trained by Burke, the Summa Cum Laude gelding won the Next Generation for 2-year-old male pacers in a lifetime-best 1:52 and recorded a win in the opening leg of the OSS in 1:54 as part of three seasonal wins.
Prior OSS winners Crocodile Station (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), Gentleman’s Club (Merriman), and When Is Parade (Page) are in the second division. Leaving from the far outside, Crocodile Station is the 2-1 morning-line favorite. Trained by Michael Hitchcock, the Downbytheseaside gelding has two wins this season, including one in the third leg of the OSS in 1:53.2. Burke trainee When Is Parade is the 7-2 second choice. The Summa Cum Laude colt has two wins and two thirds in four seasonal starts. He took a division of the third leg in 1:53.2. Gentleman’s Club, who won a division in the opening leg in 1:54.3, opened with 5-1 odds. He is trained by Aaron Lambert.
Sparks N Fire (Austin Hanners) is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the third division. The Catch The Fire colt is trained by Todd Luther. He has three seconds and one third in four seasonal starts and was a runner-up in the first and third legs of the OSS. Lindy Dragonwater (Page), a winner in the first leg in 1:54.2, is the 3-1 second choice. The Burke trainee has two wins and one third in four starts this season. Swelce (Wilder), who posted a victory in the first leg, is 9-1 and has two wins, two seconds, and one third in six seasonal starts.
Filly Trotters
Two-time OSS winner Lucky Lady Volo (Tetrick) is the 7-2 second choice in the second division behind 6-5 morning-line favorite Joyofmylife As (Noble). Trained by Anette Lorentzon, Joyofmylife As is 3-for-3 this season with all three victories coming in the Buckeye Stallion Series. The Guardian Angel As filly recorded a lifetime-best 1:55.1 in her third-leg BSS win at Scioto. Lucky Lady Volo is an In Range filly trained by Miller. She posted a win in each of the first two legs of the OSS in 1:56.2 and 1:57.3, respectively.
In the third division, Mockingbird As (Noble) opened as the slight 5-2 favorite ahead of 3-1 second choice Speedbewithyou (A. Hanners) and 4-1 third choice Rose Run Brooke (L. Hanners). Mockingbird As, a winner in the third leg of the BSS, is trained by Lorentzon. The Guardian Angel As filly posted runner-up finishes in her other two starts this season. Speedbewithyou, a Luther trainee, posted a win in the first leg of the OSS in 1:55.1 and was a runner-up in the second leg. Overall, the Mission Accepted filly has two wins, one second, and one third in five seasonal starts. Rose Run Brooke won a division in the third leg in 1:58.1.
Filly Pacers
Leaving from the rail, Stride For Stride (Justin Irvine) is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the first division. Trained by Garry Martin, the Lather Up filly has four wins in five starts this season and owns a lifetime best of 1:53.3. Shehasaway (Brett Miller) is the 7-2 second choice. The Summa Cum Laude filly is trained by Steve Bauder and has one win and one second in two seasonal starts.
Two-time OSS winner Seaside Shuffle is not entered in the third leg.