One week after winning their respective $214,286 Next Generation races, freshmen Made For More and Commanders Moni will return to Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday, July 11 to kick off what their connections hope is a successful 2026 Ohio Sires Stakes campaign.

Scioto Downs is hosting seven $50,000 USD divisions of the first leg of the OHSS for freshman trotters — three for fillies and four for colts — on Saturday as part of a 16-race card starting at 5:25 p.m.

Made For More is in a favourable spot to continue her early season success. The daughter of Long Tom out of Obsessed Blue Chip drew the rail and is the even-money favourite on the morning line in the third division of fillies. Trained by Vernon Beachy, she was the first Next Generation starter for owner and breeder John Schlabach of Millersburg, Ohio. Making her debut purse start, she won that race by half a length in 1:56.4 after taking first place in qualifiers at The Meadows in 2:03 on June 9 and 2:02.3 on June 16.

“I was really happy with her, but I wasn’t surprised. I thought she was capable of that,” Beachy said of the filly’s Next Generation victory. “I was really happy with her qualifiers. I know they were only 2:02 and 2:03, but she did it the right way.”

Made For More is a half-sister to Chip Shot, a three-year-old Mission Accepted filly who won a pair of Buckeye Stallion Series races as a freshman and has six victories in 11 lifetime starts. Schlabach co-owns Chip Shot with Walnut View Farm, and Beachy has been her trainer since midway through last season. Beachy believes Made For More has just as much potential as Chip Shot, and perhaps even more so as a top contender in the OHSS.

“It’s still early, but if she stays healthy and sound, I don’t see why she wouldn’t be a contender,” he said.

Based on the morning line odds, Made For More’s top rivals in Saturday’s race are Missredwhitenblue (Chris Page) at 4-1 and Rose Run Cybill (Kurt Sugg) at 9-2, who drew post three and two, respectively. While early-season performances from two-year-olds tend to be unpredictable, Beachy has high hopes for Made For More on Saturday.

“We drew in a good spot, but she’s still just a baby trotter making her second lifetime start, so anything can happen,” he said. “But I think she probably has just as good of a shot as any of them in there.”

Chris Lems, who was aboard for one of her qualifying wins, will drive the filly on Saturday.

Commanders Moni, a winner in the Next Generation by two lengths in 1:55.1, drew post two in the fourth division of colt trotters and is the early 3-2 favourite. A Ready For Moni colt out of Kelseys Commando, Commanders Moni was bred by Midland Acres of Bloomingburg, Ohio, and purchased by the Ohio-based partnership of Commanders Moni Stable of Radnor, Mark Schwartz of Westerville and Mark Robinson of Dublin, for $29,577 at the Blooded Horse Sale last November. Trainer Chris Beaver has high praise for the colt, saying he in some ways reminds him of a highly successful stablemate.

“He has a lot of traits like Endurance — he’s good-mannered and has a big gait, and when you want speed, he’s got it,” said Beaver. “He’s been great to work with right from the start, and I thought he was my best training colt throughout most of the winter.”

Thus, the Next Generation victory came as little shock.

“I wasn’t surprised that he won,” said Beaver. “The other horses had shown some bigger miles, but I knew he wasn’t anywhere near the bottom.”

Beaver was the winning trainer for 2023 Next Generation colt trot champion Spaaaanzano, who went on to earn $272,150 as a freshman. He’s hoping for similar success with Commanders Moni and believes the horse has the potential to have a big season.

“You always get pretty optimistic when you start winning races, but he seems like a really good horse,” he said.

Commanders Moni is two-for-two this season, adding a win at The Meadows in his debut on June 25 prior to the victory in the Next Generation. Looking to stay perfect with Mike Wilder in the bike again, he’ll face the likes of Sweet Ts Ranger (Chris Page), who finished third in the Next Generation and is the 4-1 second choice leaving from post four, and 6-1 co-third choices East King Street (Luke Hanners) and Within Range (Atlee Bender). Based on what he’s seen so far, Beaver likes Commanders Moni’s chances of another victory.

“I haven’t taken a close look at the competition yet, but I think he would be the one to beat in there,” he said.

Kissme Ifyoucan (Austin Hanners), the runner-up to Made For More in the Next Generation, is the even-money favourite in the first division for freshman filly trotters after drawing post two. The In Range filly is trained by Todd Luther.

Driven and trained by Kurt Sugg, Global Republic S filly Sweet Stevie is the 7-5 morning-line favourite in the second division and will leave from post five.

Satans Fury (Mike Wilder), the runner-up to Commanders Moni in the Next Generation, is the 9-5 favourite in the third division for freshman colt trotters. Trained by Vernon Beachy, the Volstead gelding will leave from the rail.

Sigurd, with trainer Sandy Beatty in the sulky, and Dalton Walls trainee Royal Moni (Trevor Smith), are the 5-2 and 2-1 morning line favourites in the first and second divisions, respectively. Sigurd, a Long Tom colt, will leave from post seven. Ready For Moni gelding Royal Moni drew post six.

(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association; photo of Made For More winning on July 4)