Not long after sophomore stablemate Odds On Platinum ended her provincial career with a win in her Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Clever Cody repeated his two-year-old Ohio Sires Stakes success in one of eight $410,959 Ohio Scarlet Championships on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Northfield Park.
Clever Cody (Aaron Merriman) overcame an extended first-over grind to take the Championship for the sophomore colts and geldings in 1:52. Pariss Dragon (Dan Noble) and Janelle Granny (Dexter Dunn) battled most of a :26.1 quarter before Pariss Dragon took command. As Pariss Dragon was clearing, Merriman sent Clever Cody off the pylons from fourth, and he would advance into second on the outside as Pariss Dragon got to the half in :54.4. Pariss Dragon and Clever Cody kept up their duel around the third turn and over to the 1:22.1 three-quarters, with Hundred Dollar Man (Montrell Teague) going three-wide from second-over and Janelle Granny still in the hunt after he slid off the cones into a third-over position.
In the stretch Clever Cody showed his determination by dispatching Pariss Dragon for good, and from there, Clever Cody went on to score by three-quarters of a length in 1:52. Pariss Dragon held off a ground-saving Rock The Hill (D. Miller) for third.
"He kind of makes you feel good about yourself, a couple of other guys drive him, Hall of Famers, and they don't get along with him. He's been very, very good for me," remarked Merriman. "Today he really raced gritty. I was very, very impressed. He lost a shoe in the first turn, and he had a lot of things that might not have been great for him. I moved him at the quarter, and he just raced well.
"I knew there was going to be a lot of speed. I took it upon myself here a few starts back to really teach this horse how to race off a helmet. He's so great on the front and he relaxes so well, but there are other guys who want to race on the front. One of the races this year, I really think that I committed and it was my fault. Hats off to Danny's horse, too. He raced unbelievable, but I'm just really happy with the way the horse raced and happy for the connections."
Clever Cody, a colt by The Panderosa, was sent out by Dr. Ian Moore for owner Clever Cody Stable. The Marvin Raber-bred posted his 11th lifetime triumph, has put away $865,782 and returned $3.00 to win.
Trainer Ron Burke finished 1-2-3 in the $410,959 Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championship for two-year-old male pacers and also prevailed in the Championship for three-year-old pacing fillies with Seaside Diva. In the other Championship for the pacers, Odds On Hialeah delivered in the tilt for two-year-old fillies.
Rick Wink (Chris Page), who was trying to improve to nine-for-nine in 2024, led early in the Championship for the rookie colts and geldings, but Sippinonsearoc (Yannick Gingras), who became harness racing's all-time fastest two-year-old with a 1:48.2 performance at The Red Mile on Aug. 13, overtook him before the :27.4 quarter. Sippionsearoc then yielded to sit behind a brushing Swingtown (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) after that marker.
Swingtown maintained the top spot through a 56-second half and a 1:24 three-quarters, but Sippionsearoc was full of pace to his outside in the lane, went by and pulled clear to prevail by a length and a half in 1:51.2, equaling the track record. Swingtown was second and Rick Wink, who tried a first-over attack out of third before three-quarters, couldn't make any headway and had to settle for the show dough.
"I was kind of rooting for Rick Wink since he could win the Ohio Triple Crown, but Sippinonsearoc, what a beast," remarked co-owner Carl Howard, whose wife Rocchina competes as R A S Racing LLC. I know he's got the Breeders Crown, so hopefully he'll go there, but that's really up to Ronnie and the group.
"I was fortunate that Mark (Weaver) put me in the whole group. We just wanted to invest in a few horses, and the next thing you know we've got 10, 15, 20."
Burke trains Sippinonsearoc, a Downbytheseaside colt bred by Trent Stohler Stable Inc. and Alesha Binkley, for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., R A S Racing LLC. and Knox Services Inc. Sippinonsearoc has a summary of 6-1-1 from nine trips behind the gate, has earnings of $557,602 and returned $6.60 to win.
Seaside Diva (Page) avenged her defeat in the Championship a year ago with a 1:52.2 triumph in the showdown for sophomore fillies. Daisys Star (David Miller), who knocked off Seaside Diva in that Championship in 2023, led the way early, but Seaside Diva marched up two-wide and cleared her past the :27.1 quarter. Seaside Diva maintained her grip on the front-end through middle-half panels of :55.4 and 1:24, then sealed her 1 1/2 length triumph with a :28.2 final kicker. No Foolin April (Dexter Dunn) was game from first-over and held off second-over Wasted On You (Brett Miller) for the runner-up spot.
"As a two-year-old she was probably the best filly. A minor setback out in the field probably caused her to get beat in the final," recalled Page. "This year, she's just been flawless."
A daughter of Downbytheseaside, Seaside Diva is a homebred for Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Knox Services Inc. and Let It Ride Stables Inc. Seaside Diva made her 15th trip to the winner's circle in her 26th try, has banked $955,009 and paid $2.20 to win as the 1-9 favourite.
Trainer Virgil Morgan Jr., who collected three titles overall on the card, finished first and second with a pair of Odds On Nourrir-bred/Odds On Racing-owned or co-owned two-year-old fillies in their Championship, as Odds On Hialeah (Dunn) fought off Odds On Chesapeake (D. Miller).
Odds On Hialeah, the 1-9 choice, marched two-wide to the lead past the :27.3 quarter but Odds On Chesapeake came first-up out of fourth heading to the 57 second half and battled eye-to-eye with Odds On Hialeah around the third turn and to the 1:25 three-quarters. Odds On Hialeah was game on the inside, though, and was able to keep in front around the last turn and to the finish line, defeating Odds On Chesapeake by a neck. Skywalker Sea (Austin Hanners) had pace off a second-over trip and collected third.
"She's a beautiful filly and lovely to drive. She put in a great performance at Delaware and went to Dayton and put in a good mile," Dunn remarked after the victory. "She was great again here tonight. She's very easy to drive and gets around the small tracks great, too.
"I probably deserved to get pressure because I went too slow in the second quarter, but it probably helped her a little bit. She's probably more of a stalker than on the front, but with a good draw, we had to use it. It sort of got her up and going. We got her traveling around the last turn, and she had to fight hard up the straight, though."
Odds On Hialeah, a Lather Up filly, is seven-for-eight in the win column, has pocketed $443,545 and paid $2.80 to win as the 1-9 favourite.
Driver Brett Miller guided Virgil Morgan Jr. trainees Sugar Instead and Aunt Laura to victories in their $410,959 Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championships for trotters, and then added a third title with Daren Harvey-trained Lt Loverboy. Hung Over, driven by Dan Noble, won the remaining trotting Championship.
One of the stars of the Ohio Sires Stakes program as both a rookie and a sophomore, Sugar Instead completed a Triple Crown season with a 1:55.2 triumph in the event for three-year-old fillies. Miller floated away with Sugar Instead from post four, and once the dust settled, drove her on two-wide to take the top spot away from Jurassic Hattie (Tyler Smith) after the :29.1 quarter-mile marker.
Createaqueen (Dan Noble) came with a big brush out of fourth in the second quarter and took the lead on the outside from Sugar Instead past the :58.4 half. Createaqueen couldn't clear, though, and then broke on the third turn, putting Sugar Instead back in charge. Legacy Affair (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) was the next challenger to Sugar Instead on the outside heading to the 1:27 three-quarters, but Sugar Instead dealt with that bid with little issue and went on to defeat Jurassic Hattie by a length. Legacy Affair wound up third.
"What do you say? Every time I think 'well, I don't know if she can do it again,' and she just does it again," said Dick McClelland, who owns Sugar Instead with his wife Joyce and their partner Larry Wills. "Tonight they tried her and they tried her a lot. She's a very nice horse. I've got a really great partner. He puts up with me a little bit, and we've had a great season with her.
"As best as I know, we are going to the Breeders Crown."
Sugar Instead has 19 wins, two seconds and a third 23 efforts, has put away $1,047,307 and returned $2.20 to win as the 1-9 favourite. Sugar Instead, a daughter of Volstead, was bred by Elmer Miller.
In the championship for two-year-old fillies, Miller and 15-1 shot Aunt Laura, who was also bred and is owned by the McClellands, led through panels of :28.1, :58 and 1:26.3 on her way to a 3-3/4 length victory in 1:56.1. The 2-5 favourite Mocha Hill (Chris Page) went three-wide from second-over on the final turn but had to settle for runner-up honours and Aunt Lilly (Anthony MacDonald) turned a pocket trip into a third-place result.
"I've liked her all along since we broke her. She was just immature, but she always had talent," Morgan Jr. said post-race. "When she got through the first turn, I felt really good. Again, she's shown sparks of this, but she put it all together tonight, which is the right night to do it.
"Joyce and Dick McClelland, I can't say enough about them. They do a great job at their farm raising these horses, and they bring them to me. There's pedigree there. Their broodmares are excellent and it shows when they race. It's just a pleasure to train for them."
A daughter of Uncle Peter, Aunt Laura has a trio of tallies from nine outings, has banked $313,115 and paid $33.80 to win.
Miller's third championship came with Lt Loverboy via placing in the Championship for two-year-old colts and geldings. Battle Hill (Chris Lems) worked his way around Hilltop Sonar (Page) nearing the :27.3 quarter, and when Hilltop Sonar broke on the second turn while trying to re-move, that left Battle Hill on the lead.
While that was going on up front, Scrappys Love (Mike Wilder) would commit to an extended first-over move out of fourth before the :57.4 half, and that gave cover to Lt Loverboy, who wound up parked from post seven. Scrappys Love continued to make forward progress on the rim and was nose-to-nose with Battle Hill at the 1:27 three-quarters while Lt Loverboy was out three-wide.
Scrappys Love forged his way by Battle HIll for good before they entered the stretch drive and dug in gamely, but he shifted out in the closing strides, bothering Lt Loverboy in the process. So, even though Scrappys Love hit the wire half a length ahead of Lt Loverboy in a 1:57.3 performance, the judges would move Scrappys Love to second and promote Lt Loverboy to the victory after an inquiry. Oso Fast (David Miller) went across the wire off-stride in third and was also moved back to fifth, elevating Battle Hill from fourth to third.
"There were a few breakers earlier, and that changed the whole race," Brett Miller offered after the victory. "When Chris Page's horse made a break, that really changed it for us. My colt raced awesome."
Bred by Midland Acres Inc., Lt Loverboy, a gelded son of Long Tom, is owned by Wayne Mast Jr. and Callam Racing LLC. Lt Loverboy has a summary of 6-3-1 from 10 appearances, has pocketed $416,514 and returned $3.60 to win.
The Championship for three-year-old colts and geldings saw Spaaaanzano (Aaron Merriman) get to the front from post two, and he was tracked from the pocket by Hung Over. Royal Precedent (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) also had early speed from post seven but wound up parked to the 27.4 quarter and would continue to pester Spaaaanzano on the outside through a 56.4 half and a 1:25.3 three-quarters.
Through the stretch Spaaaanzano was game on the lead and continued to keep the persistent Royal Precedent at bay, but Hung Over dove into the passing lane, and he had just enough time and just enough trot to get by Spaaaanzano at the end of the 1:55.3 mile, prevailing by a nose. Royal Precedent turned in a huge mile of his own at 55-1 to get third, just a length behind the top two.
"He shows up every time we race him, and he got the job done tonight," remarked winning trainer Bob Stewart. "We trained his father, so it's even more special. "We're partners with Mitchell Skolnick, who is one of my best friends. He bred the horse and was nice enough to let us get in on him. It's been a good ride.
"I was a little worried about going up the inside because he hasn't done that before, and some horses aren't used to going to the inside. Danny didn't have a lot of choice, and the stretch was just long enough."
As Stewart mentioned, Hung Over is a colt by Creatine and was bred by Skolnick's Bluestone Farms. Lynda Stewart co-owns Hung Over, who made his eighth trip to the winner's circle, has now earned $613,407 and paid $7.80 to win as the 5-2 third choice.
(Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association)