Grove City, OH – A three-time winner in the Ohio Sires Stakes this season, Pet Project has been a standout among 2-year-old male pacers.
“What stands out about him is how easy he is to drive. He’s very willing to do anything I put him towards,” said Trevor Smith, who has driven Pet Project in all six purse starts this season. “He’s a very versatile and quick horse, and it bodes well with this style of racing in Ohio.”
The Pet Rock gelding was a winner in the third leg of the OSS at MGM Northfield Park in 1:53.3 and fourth leg at Eldorado Scioto Downs in 1:52.1 before recording a lifetime-best 1:51.2 in the rescheduled second leg back at Scioto on Aug. 30. Those wins are part of four consecutive victories in a stretch that began in the Ohio State Fair Stakes on Aug. 2. Smith and Pet Project have proven to be a successful combination thus far for trainer Kim Dailey, who co-owns Pet Project with Jr Stable LLP. With the addition of a third-place finish in the opening leg of the OSS, they have hit the board in all four legs thus far.
“He’s very well-mannered. Kim did a great job with him training down,” Smith said of Pet Project. “He respects the driver. He has the heart that you always want to see in a horse, which makes my job a hundred times easier to be able to do what I want to do in certain situations. When it gets tough, some horses will step down from the pressure, but he does nothing but step up to the plate and knows how to get the job done.”
Pet Project has racked up $109,700 in earnings and leads the OSS standings for 2-year-old male pacers with 166 points. He and Smith are looking to make it four straight OSS victories, and five consecutive wins overall, on Saturday (Sept. 6) as Scioto hosts three $50,000 divisions in the fifth leg for freshman male pacers. Pet Project will leave from post two and is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the third division. But there is plenty of competition, as the division also includes a trio of two-time OSS winners in Crocodile Station, Gentleman’s Club, and Lindy Dragonwater as well as first-leg winner Swelce. Crocodile Station and Lindy Dragonwater are also Ohio State Fair Stakes winners.
“That field is very tough — it’s a power-packed field. It’s not what I wanted to see, especially this close to the final,” Smith said. “My biggest thing is being able to keep him fresh without having to really overdo it while still letting him display his talents. It’s going to be a tough task.”
Crocodile Station (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) opened as the 3-1 second choice. The Michael Hitchcock trainee’s OSS wins came in the second leg in 1:52.1 and third leg in 1:53.2. A Downbytheseaside gelding, he has $97,100 in earnings. The Ron Burke-trained Lindy Dragonwater (Chris Page) posted OSS wins in the first leg in 1:54.2 and fourth leg in 1:51. Trained by Aaron Lambert, Gentleman’s Club (Aaron Merriman) has OSS wins in the first leg in 1:54.3 and fourth leg in 1:51.4 and will leave from the far outside. Swelce (Mike Wilder) has hit the board in seven of eight seasonal starts with two wins and has $97,198 in earnings.
In such a competitive field, Smith knows not to be too confident about his chances of winning on Saturday despite his past success with Pet Project. But the combination of the favorable draw and a talented horse is a recipe for success.
“Being on the inside, I can see how things play out before I make my move, which gives me a little edge up, in my opinion,” he said. “I really like my chances, but it’s hard to see how everything is going to go. If I can give him any trip and be close at the top of the stretch, I really do think he has a great shot.”
In Other Action
In the first division, two-time OSS winner I’llbetyourboots (Page) is the 8-5 morning line favorite ahead of 5-2 second choice Odds On Ray (Dan Noble). Trained by Burke, I’llbetyourboots won this year’s Next Generation at Scioto in 1:52. The Summa Cum Laude gelding’s four seasonal wins also include one in the first leg of the OSS in 1:54 and the second leg in 1:53.3. He has $136,460 in earnings. Odds On Ray is a Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee with two wins, one second, and one third in five seasonal starts.
Fellow Morgan Jr. trainee Odds On Phil (Dexter Dunn) is the 7-2 morning-line favorite in the second division, ahead of 4-1 second choice When Is Parade (Wrenn Jr.). Lather Up colt Odds On Phil has hit the board in all five seasonal starts with three wins and two seconds. When Is Parade will leave from the far outside. The Burke trainee has two wins this season, including in the third leg of the OSS in 1:53.2.
The Ohio Sires Stakes for freshman male pacers is part of a 16-race, $1.26 million card at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday that also includes two $250,000 Grand Circuit events in the Charlie Hill Memorial and the Jim Ewart Memorial. Also on the card are two $65,000 divisions each of the fifth leg of the OSS for sophomore male and filly trotters and filly pacers and three $50,000 divisions of the fifth leg for freshman filly pacers.
First-race post time is 5:45 p.m.