The fourth annual Next Generation events at Eldorado Scioto Downs will be held Saturday (July 1) and first post is 5:50 p.m. with the two-year-old filly pace going off as race three and the two-year-old filly trot going behind the gate for race seven.

Each pacing filly in the field has qualified two times, with half of them also making one pari-mutuel start prior to Saturday’s race. Three are by the dominant Ohio sire Downbytheseaside, while two are from freshman sire Lather Up. Another two are by Racing Hill, who is in race four on Saturday and can watch his daughters on the paddock TV while he’s getting bridled up. The lone Big Bad John in the field is a homebred of the stallion’s racing connections, Winchester Baye Acres.

The morning line favourite for the filly pacers, at 5-2, is Magestic Seas from the Brian Brown stable. The Downbytheseaside filly was a $110,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase by County Club Acres, Krik Nichols and Scott Dillon from Andray Farm & Sergent Stables. She will be driven by Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. and leave from post five in the eight horse field. She qualified at Delaware in 1:58.1 and came back on June 24 at Hoosier Park and was timed in 1:56 with a :26.3 last quarter.

The fastest filly in the race is the Tye Loy trainee Beautiful Lather. She qualified the first of June in 1:58.3, and after another qualifying start, raced at Northfield on June 21 where she was timed in 1:55.2. Aaron Merriman will drive the Lather Up filly from post seven for owners by David Wills, Richard Coad, Tye Loy and Douglas Gregory. She was a $21,000 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Galliers Racing.

Not a single two-year-old trotting filly entered in The Next Generation has made a pari-mutuel start yet. Sires Long Tom (two), What The Hill (two), freshman sire Volstead (two), Enterprise and Triumphant Caviar are all represented in the eight horse field, with Sugar Instead (Volstead) being the slight morning line favourite at 4-1.

The Ronnie Gillespie driven Sugar Instead recently switched barns after her two qualifying starts, where she was timed in 2:01.3 and came back on June 19 to win in 1:57. Gillespie’s owner Susan Sickle purchased her out of the August Blooded Horse Sale for $11,000 but she was purchased on draw day (June 27) by Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. Virgil Morgan Jr. now trains the filly.

Possibly the most interestingly bred horse in the field is Sedona Hill (sired by What The Hill). She was purchased out of the Ohio Select Sale for $24,000 by Thestable Sedona Hall Group and Hutchison Harness. Her dam, Sonalona Hanover, is a sister to Spellbound Hanover, the dam of Hambletonian winner Marion Marauder. Sedona Hill has two wins in her qualifying starts, both at Northfield Park in 2:01 and 2:00.3. Anthony MacDonald drives the What The Hill filly for Jason McGinnis. The pair won the 2022 Next Generation for trotting fillies with Swinging Senorita, another What The Hill filly the fractional ownership entity headed by Anthony MacDonald owns in partnership with Hutchison Harness.

Saturday’s race card marks the return of the Pick-8. There will be a $25,000 guarantee on the wager, 14 per cent takeout and will have a 50 per cent consolation payout with a 50 per cebt carryover if no one picks all eight race winners. The wager will begin with race five on Saturday and includes the Next Generation for two-year-old trotting fillies.

Racing is held at Scioto Downs each Tuesday and Wednesday with a 3:15 p.m. first post and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with a 5:50 p.m. first post through Saturday, Sept. 16. 

(Scioto Downs)