On Saturday, Oct. 6, Northfield Park hosted eight $40,000 divisions of Buckeye Stallion Series Championships and four $60,000 Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) Championships for four-year-olds and up.
The stakes-racing action led to a track record for freshman gelding pacers and a tied mark for five-year-old and up trotting geldings.
Yankee Boots won the evening’s fourth race, the $40,000 Buckeye Stallion Series Championship Two-Year-Old Colt Pace in a track-record 1:51.3 for freshman geldings. The mark was previously broken in 2017 by Drew The Dragon in 1:51.4.
Steve Carter of Londonderry, Ohio trains and co-owns the pacer with Peggy Carter, Chuck Grubbs and J. Whitacre. Aaron Merriman was in the sulky for the winning drive.
Yankee Boots (Yankee Cruiser-Scootin Mercedes-Expensive Scooter) started from post four. He left from the gate and led every call through fractions of :26.3, :55.2, 1:23 and 1:51.3, besting his competition by two lengths.
Yankee Boots now has nine wins in 14 starts. Saturday’s victory bolstered his bankroll to $93,010. He was heavily favored and returned $2.80 to win.
The $60,000 OHSS Championship for four-and-up trotting horses and geldings saw Ladys Dude equal the 1:53.2 record for five-and-up trotting geldings.
He was the fourth trotter to equal the track standard, tied with Obrigado, who set the mark in 2016, Cimeronken in 2018, and Fly Jesse Fly in 2018.
Ron Burke trains the trotter for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and JE Yoder. Chris Page was in the sulky.
Lady’s Dude (Victory Sam-Lady’s Star-Hi Noon Star) started from the rail and sat the pocket through times of :27.1, :55.3 and 1:24.2. Page pulled approaching top of the stretch and won by a half length in 1:53.2.
Lady’s Dude now has 11 wins in 23 starts this year. This victory represents his 45th score career and pushed his earnings $793,848. He paid $8.80 to win.
rainer Ronnie Burke & driver Chris Page teamed up to sweep all four $60,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Veteran Championships for 4-year-old and up trotters and pacers of both genders on Saturday night, Oct. 6 at Northfield Park.
Rosemary Rose prevailed in 1:50.4 in the $60,000 OHSS contest for pacing mares after a perfect two-hole trip. The four-year-old daughter by Foreclosure N left the gate as the 9-5 favourite and sat in the garden spot until mid-stretch, where she unleashed a :27.4 kick to notch career victory No. 19.
Owned by Burke Racing, Jason Melilo and Weaver Bruscemi, Rosemary Rose finished three-and-a-half lengths in front of 8-5 Pistol Packin Mam with 9-5 Feelin Red Hot fading to third. The win upped Rosemary Rose’s career earnings to $370,262.
Dancin Yankee captured the $60,000 Pacing Championship for the fourth time. Timed in 1:49.3, the 10-year-old Yankee Cruiser stallion grabbed the lead at the 1:21.3 three-quarters and never looked back, drawing off by three-and-a-quarter lengths at 1-5 in front of 20-1 Uncle Remus. Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. piloted 22-1 Stride Of Pride to a third-place finish.
Owned by Burke Racing, the victory pushed Dancin Yankee’s career earnings to $1,836,957 and was his 69th lifetime win in his 217th start.
Finally, Page guided 3-5 Party At The Banks to a 1:55.3 clocking in the $60,000 Mare Trotting Championship. The four-year-old daughter by Break The Bank K battled the leading 6-1 A TC Queenie throughout the mile before getting the better of her rival in the lane, prevailing by two-and-a-quarter lengths with 10-1 Joyfulntriumphant notching show honours.
The win was the fifth of the season for Party At The Banks and her ninth win lifetime. Her career coffers now contain $79,973 for owners Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi.
(With files from Northfield Park and the Ohio Sires Stakes)