The fields are set and anticipation is mounting for a quartet of $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes championship races to be contested at Hollywood Dayton Raceway this coming weekend.
The divisions for four-year-old and up mares, on both the pace and trot, will be staged Friday with their male counterparts set to do battle for Buckeye supremacy on Saturday. Post time for both programs is 6:35 p.m.
Seven trotting mares will square off in the eighth race at Dayton on Friday with Victory Is Coming (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) listed as a 2-1 morning line favourite despite drawing the outermost post position. A winner of $88,130 in 2014, the seven-year-old daughter of Victory Sam figures to get the stiffest competition from Jesses Messenger (Ryan Stahl) and Easy Strength (Josh Sutton).
Two races later Igottafeelinfran (Dan Noble) will be the likely betting favourite with Crosswind Colleen (Jason Brewer) and So Jazzy (Chris Page) the next two choices on the morning line. With $92,750 banked this season, Igotafeelinfran is the richest Ohio-bred mare in the talented eight-horse field.
Nine of the best older Ohio-sired male trotters will kick off the sires stakes action on Saturday in the sixth race. Count Me In (Mike Wilder) is the 2-1 early choice on the merits of a track record 1:55.1 win in an elimination last Saturday. With $55,368 in seasonal earnings, Count Me In isn’t the richest horse in the race but appears to be in the sharpest current form. Others sure to have a say in the final outcome are Final Breath (Hugh Beatty) and Its Jesse Time (Chris Page), who won the other eliminations.
There is no doubt that Dancin Yankee (Tyler Buter) will get overwhelming support from the betting public off his 1:51 track record performance in his elimination, plus the fact he has fared well against many of the top Free-For-Allers on the continent all summer long. He has earned $484,140 of his lifetime $1,069,962 bankroll in 2014 and will be coupled in the wagering as a 2-5 morning line choice with That Friske Feelin as Richard Lombardo has an ownership position in both horses. Lonesome Attack (Josh Sutton), the other elimination winner, and Outdoor Fever (Kayne Kauffman) could also loom large in the race.
All horses for the four OHSS championship races must be in their paddock stalls a minimum of six hours prior to post time for their races, in accordance with published conditions.
(Dayton)