Driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. piloted the winners of two $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for pacing and trotting mares, four-year-olds and up, Friday night at Hollywood at Dayton Racino. The black and maroon-clad reinsman steered favourites Igottafeelinfran and Victory Is Coming to resounding wins in both divisions for aged distaffs.
Wrenn first guided Igottafeelinfran to victory over six rivals in the pacing division, clocked in 1:54.1.
Trained by Jim Daily, the five-year-old daughter of Feelin Friskie used an easy, gate-to-wire steer to nail down her 25th career victory and eighth of the season, pushing her career totals to $461,520 for Ohio owners Jerry Zosel, Kathy Ratcliff and Kimberly Dailey.
“She’s a Cadillac to drive,” Wrenn Jr. stressed. “Just a very classy mare. I felt confident that she was the best in there and could win as long as I avoided any road trouble.”
Wrenn Jr. did just that, sending Igottafeelinfran right to the top and snapping off fractions of :26.4, :56.3 and 1:24.3, before she paced home her final panel in a modest :29.3 and drawing off by two and a half lengths.
Igottafeelinfran was a multiple Sires Stakes winner at ages two and three, and captured this same event last year as a four-year-old in 1:55.
Co-owner Jerry Zosel said he wasn’t sure what was up next on the agenda for Igottafeelinfran, but said he felt sure that trainer Jim Dailey would be giving the mare a well-deserved rest in the near future.
“He might wind her down in a few weeks and give her a little break during the winter,” Zosel said. “It’s not about the money at this point with her. She’s been awfully good to us.”
Igottafeelinfran’s stablemate, Lady Julie (Randy Tharps), finished second, while 40-1 longshot Shakin Friskie (Dan Noble) did well to be third.
Wrenn Jr. next guided the diminutive but mighty Victory Is Coming, who scored her 60th career win en route to establishing a new track record for aged trotting mares over Dayton’s five-eighths mile oval, clocked in 1:54.3 for the one-mile test.
Owned by Betty and Red Shaw and trained by Ammon Hershberger, the eight-year-old mare upped her career earnings to $656,952.
“She has such a good, fluid way of trotting,” said Wrenn Jr. in the winner’s circle. “She can race anyway you want her to -- from on or off the pace -- and she always give you her best effort. She just loves her job and I never chased her at all tonight. It was all her.”
Wrenn Jr. got away in the three-hole, but moved Victory Is Coming quickly from the rail at the :27 first quarter, took the lead, and never looked back, leading the field of nine trotters through fractions of :56.3 and 1:25.3. She used a final brush of :29 to win by nearly nine lengths over rival, 24-1 longshot, Miss Lulu Belle (Don Irvine Jr.), while Rose Run Nellie (Josh Sutton) got up for third.
(With files from Ohio State Racing Commission)