Nominations to the $5.3 million 2015 Ohio Sire Stakes program for two and three-year-old trotters and pacers are up 69.4 per cent in 2015 from 2014, when just 457 Standardbreds were designated by their owners into these divisions.

“Ohio is climbing back to the status it once held as the top Standardbred state in North America,” said Richard McClelland, chairman of the Ohio Standardbred Development Committee. “Our rich Ohio sire stake program can only continue to enhance the quality of the breeding and racing industry in our state.”

A total of 774 freshman and sophomore trotters and pacers have been nominated to the program this season, which includes four, $40,000 to $45,000 legs and a $225,000 championship for each of the eight divisions of Ohio-bred youngsters.

Of that total, a full 587 were nominated in the two-year-old division, while 187 were named in the three-year-old ranks.

Freshman colt pacers have the most nominees, with 177, while the freshman filly pacing division has 156 nominated horses. In the trotting division there are 131 freshman filly trotters and 123 freshman colt trotters nominated.

Interestingly, fillies dominated the three-year-old diagonally-gaited division, with 57 nominees, while 49 male trotters were made eligible. In the pacing group, 44 colts were nominated and 37 fillies were nominated in the sophomore ranks.

As well, 71 Ohio-bred Standardbreds—ages four and older—have been nominated in the Aged division thus far. A total of 38 trotters and 33 pacers have been entered into the program (the total number of nominees in this division for 2014), with a June 1 deadline remaining.

The aged division had previously not been contested since 2009 until 2014, when just 35 (25 trotters and 10 pacers) were nominated to the program. Consequently, the 2015 numbers to date represent a 51 per cent increase in the aged division.

Ohio ranked first nationally in number of mares bred (2,494) and registered foals (1,471) in 2014, according to USTA statistics.

(Ohio Standardbred Development Fund)