Ten $40,000 divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes for freshman trotting and pacing fillies were contested Tuesday afternoon at Scioto Downs. Of those ten divisions, four fillies were first time winners in the four-leg series, while six have now swept both of the first two legs.

One filly who won OSS leg one on July 3 at Northfield Park in 1:56.1 and then returned to lower her career record to 1:54.2 at Scioto on Tuesday is Bye Bye Felicia, who Brian Brown conditioned to those front stepping victories for driver Chris Page.

This robust filly is by Ohio sire Woodstock, a foal of 2007 who earned $173,176 and took a three-year-old record of Q1:50.3m. He is a son of World Champion Rocknroll Hanover, out of the Abercrombie mare Gothic Lady. Bye Bye Felicia’s breeder, Joe McLead, is a big fan of Woodstock’s pedigree and said keeping alert for a well-bred broodmare is a high priority for any breeder.

“Breeding is what we do for a living, so the serious breeder is always looking for the right pedigree to bring into their broodmare band,” Joe stressed. “I study every broodmare’s bloodline in every sale. It’s just good business.”

As many in racing know, good business, coupled with a few sprinkles of luck, often yield big rewards for breeders and owners alike. Such is the case with Bye Bye Felicia. When Joe studied the February 2013 Blooded Horse Sale catalogue, he spied an unraced daughter out of the Matts Scooter mare Armbro Tea, p, 3, 1:53.2s ($91,457), named Tea Time.

“Tea Time is a Camluck half-sister to Dali, a son of Real Artist,” Joe noted. “Dali took a mark of 1:48.2f at three and earned nearly $1.5 million. Woodstock is a good outcross to the Cam Fella line, as his dam is a half-sister to Artsplace.”

It just so happened that Tea Time was a supplemental entry in the catalogue and was selling at the end of the sale, on the final day of the four-day mixed auction.

“When I got there that afternoon, it was practically deserted,” Joe recalled. “I was the only bidder on Tea Time, and my bid was $250.”

The result of the Woodstock-Tea Time coupling produced Bye Bye Felicia, who Joe says was a standout as a foal.

“This filly’s confirmation was spot-on perfect,” he said. “And she always had a bit of an attitude.”

Bye Bye Felicia sold for $7,000 at the 2015 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale and has earned $40,975 for owners Jennifer Brown, Dean Davis, Joyce McClelland and Steve Mullet.

“It just shows what you can do in this business if you buy into the right bloodlines,” Joe confirmed.

Of the four OSS trotting contests held on Tuesday, three of the winning fillies were by Dejarmbro, while one was represented by Break The Bank K. In the six pacing divisions, Art Official had two winning freshmen, while Woodstock, The Panderosa, Arts Chip and Foreclosure N each had one winning filly.

Fillies who were winning an OSS leg for the first time included the Bobby Brower-trained Lets Get Started, who established a new track record of 1:56.3 for two-year-old trotting fillies. She was driven by Josh Sutton for breeders/owners Dick and Joyce McClelland.

Classy But Sassy was another first time OSS winner, clocked in 1:55 for trainer/owner/breeder Charles Neff and driver Sandy Beatty.

Da Vinci Artist prevailed in her first OSS triumph in 1:56.1 with trainer Kurt Sugg driving for owner Robert Corbin and breeder Spring Haven Farm and Doug Millard.

Nikki Bella was another first time OSS winner for owner Don Tiger, trainer Tim Twaddle and breeder Velocity Standardbreds. Mike Wilder was in the sulky for the filly’s 1:55.1 clocking.

Besides Bye Bye Felicia, those fillies notching their second OSS score after winning leg one on July 3 at Northfield Park included Madeira AS, who won in 1:59 at Northfield and captured leg two at Scioto in 1:58.2 for owners/breeder ACL Stuteri AB, and Kjell Johansson. Anette Lorentzon trains the daughter of Dejarmbro.

Purple Sona won leg one at Northfield in 2:00.4 and scored in 1:58.2 in leg two at Scioto for driver Kurt Sugg, trainer Miles Wollam and owners Acadia Farm, Dale Sweet and G&B Racing. Double Spring Farm bred the Dejarmbro filly.

Amuses prevailed strongly in 2:00 in leg two at Scioto after winning leg one at Northfield in 2:01.1 for driver Tony Hall, trainer Richard Gillock and breeder/owner Robert Key.

The Ron Burke-trained filly Rosemary Rose stopped the clock in 1:54.4 for Mike Wilder in leg two at Scioto, after having won in 1:56.4 by ten lengths at Northfield in leg one of the OSS series. Burke Racing, JV Mellito and Weaver Bruscemi own the daughter of Foreclosure N.

Finally, Type A Grey won her second straight in OSS competition, lowering her record of 1:57.2 taken at Northfield in leg one to 1:54.4 in leg two at Scioto for the Emerald Highlands Farm. Brian Brown harnessed the Art Official lass for driver Chris Page.

(OSDF)