It’s been a sort of feast-or-famine season for Touchedbythesea. The Ohio-sired three-year-old pacer has three wins but has missed the board in his three other starts.

“I think a lot of it is that he’s just learning how to race,” Knox Services’ Kris Brechler said of the inconsistency. “I’m very happy with how he’s done in the races. In his first couple starts, it was more about learning how to race and I think he’s getting better and better the more he races.”

Knox Services of Mount Vernon, Ohio co-owns Touchedbythesea with Pennsylvania's Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi and Kentucky's Slaughter Racing Stable. The Downbytheseaside gelding out of Summer Touch — the 2020 Ohio Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year who set a world record and won the Ohio Triple Crown that season — didn’t race as a freshman last year, as his connections believed he needed more development. So the early season inconsistency may be inherent in his relative lack of on-track experience.

“I think he just needed some maturity from last year to this year,” said Brechler. “He’s maybe not the best colt out there, but he’s a nice colt that gives you his best effort every time he’s out on the track. He’s doing everything we’ve asked of him and seems to be getting better and better each and every time he races.”

With Touchedbythesea untested entering his three-year-old season, Brechler admitted to not knowing what to expect of him.

“I knew that he had some talent but didn’t know how much talent he had, so anything good was going to be a plus,” he said.

Touchedbythesea made his debut in a maiden race at The Meadows on April 22, finishing fourth. His first victory was one week later in another maiden race at the same track, perhaps giving his connections a glimpse of his potential.

“After his first couple starts, I thought he would be a great Buckeye [Stallion Series] horse,” said Brechler.

That has proven to be the case. In the first leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series on May 9 at Eldorado Scioto Downs, the Ron Burke trainee won in a lifetime mark of 1:52.3, tying for the fastest mile of the six divisions of the series that night as Chris Page took over driving duties from Ronnie Wrenn Jr.

“Chris did a great job getting him in position,” said Brechler. “I thought he had a chance to win and he ended up winning. It was a good race for him.”

Touchedbythesea finished fourth his next time out in an overnight race at Scioto but rebounded for another Buckeye victory in 1:54.3 in the second leg on June 6 at Northfield Park. He is the only sophomore male pacer with multiple Buckeye wins this year and is a morning line favourite as he goes for a third victory in the series despite coming off a seventh-place finish on June 18 (race timed in 1:51.1).

Scioto Downs is hosting six $20,000 USD divisions of the third leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for sophomore colt pacers on Saturday, June 27 and Touchedbythesea is the early 2-1 favourite in the fifth division. He drew post four in the nine-horse field that includes four other horses —  Gypsys Brother (Tyler Smith), Legends Rule (Brett Miller), Odds On Rpj (Luke Hanners) and The Ebony Dragon (Austin Hanners) — with Buckeye victories to their credit this year. Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee Odds On Rpj is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line and will leave from the rail. 

Brechler pointed to Odds On Rpj and The Ebony Dragon, trained by Tyler Bates, as perhaps Touchedbythesea’s top challengers on Saturday in what he sees as a good measuring-stick race for his horse.

“It’s going to be a really tough race for him, so we should find out more about him after this race,” said Brechler. “But I think he has a good chance to win. He’s raced some of these horses before and has been right there with them.”

First-leg winners Global (Cameron McCown) and Odds On Phil (Luke Hanners) highlight the field for the first division. Trained by Brian Brown, Global has hit the board in seven of nine seasonal starts with five wins and is the 2-1 morning line favourite after drawing the rail. Morgan Jr. trainee Odds On Phil, the 3-1 second choice, will leave from post two.

In the third division, the remaining three sophomore colt pacers with Buckeye wins this year — Odds On Sugar (Luke Hanners), Thunder Jam (Brett Miller) and Ultimate Catch (Chris Lems) — highlight the nine-horse field. Odds On Sugar, trained by Morgan Jr., is the 2-1 morning line favourite and will leave from post two. He has a record of 1-1-1 in four seasonal starts. Thunder Jam is a Tim Twaddle trainee with four wins, one second and one third in eight starts this year, and Ultimate Catch has four wins and one third in eight seasonal starts for trainer Scott Cox. They drew posts three and nine, respectively. Sunnys In The Sea (Tyler Smith) is the 4-1 second choice and will leave from post four.

Starblazer (Luke Hanners), a Morgan Jr. trainee, is the 2-1 morning line favourite in the second division. He will leave from the rail.
Tsunami Seas (Brett Miller) opened as a heavy favourite in the fourth division at 6-5. Trained by Morgan Jr., he has three wins and two seconds in five seasonal starts and drew post four. Stoke The Fire (Lems), the 2-1 morning line favourite in the sixth division, will leave from post three. Trained by Cox, he has four wins in eight starts this year.

The six Buckeye races are part of a 16-race card at Scioto on Saturday. First-race post time is 5:25 p.m.

(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association; photo of Touchedbythesea winning at Scioto Downs on May 9)