All five Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) winners on Monday, May 25 at Eldorado Scioto Downs set new lifetime marks, but Big Ranger went one better and lowered a track record as he won the first $104,167 division for three-year-old trotting colts in 1:51.2.
Driver-trainer Ronnie Gillespie sent Big Ranger out from post seven and made the top before the first turn. The pair hit the opening quarter in :27.1 and half in :56 before pulling the plugs nearing the 1:24.1 three-quarters. Big Ranger trotted home in :27.1 under a hand drive to win by 2-3/4 lengths over Rose Run Banker (Chris Page). Rose Run Boom (Luke Hanners) finished third.
Big Ranger, a son of In Range out of the Tactical Landing mare Big Blue Bird, is two-for-four this season for owner Madison Global. The colt, a defending OHSS champion, now has nine wins 11 starts lifetime and $620,179 in earnings. He returned $2.80. Big Ranger bested Mission Accepted’s 1:52 record for a three-year-old trotting colt set back in 2018.
Gillespie said the big mile was promising for the season ahead, with major stakes potentially on the horizon.
“I did tell the owners, not this start, but the next start, if he can’t trot in 1:51 comfortably, I wouldn’t take him to the Hambletonian," he said. "But he did it real comfortable tonight, so my goal is to see how well he can do it off the pace. He’s going to have to come off the pace to race with those Grand Circuit horses.”
Chris Page won a single OHSS split in a six-win performance on the 16-race card. He timed the gate with Backninebar in the $69,444 second event for sophomore male pacers and had him in front in a :27 first panel. Crocodile Station (Wrenn) then brushed to the lead, putting Backninebar in the pocket through the half in :55.1 and three-quarters in 1:24.2. Backninebar launched out of the pocket on the final turn and vaulted past Crocodile Station in the stretch to prevail by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:51.1. Tsunami Seas (Brett Miller) out-sprinted Odds On Phil (Luke Hanners) for place.
Ron Burke trains Backninebar ($7.40), who is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Knox Services Inc. The Downbytheseaside colt out of the Western Ideal mare Restless De Vie has now earned $234,840 in 14 lifetime starts with four wins. He is two-for-five this year.
Page also scored wins with Charlotte Elise ($4), Hecandancencruise ($4.20), Bet The Beach ($2.60), Squaawww ($16) and Sod Buster ($6.80). With the six-pack, he took the lead in the drivers' standings over Luke Hanners, flipping a one-win deficit heading into the card into a four-win advantage. Coming off a career-best season of 592 wins and $12.5 million in earnings, Page is 197-for-1,076 this year.
Tom Largo ($3), piloted by Chris Lems, won the other $104,167 split for three-year-old colt trotters, completing the mile in 1:53.1 after getting the perfect pocket trip behind pacesetter Grape Crush (Brett Miller). Trained by Scott Cox for Jughead Stables LLC, G Peters and Robert Kubiak, the Long Tom-Smith Hall gelding now has seven wins in 13 lifetime starts and $283,740 in earnings. Grape Crush was second with Soulful Saul (Luke Hanners) third.
Trainer Tony Alagna and driver Marvin Luna teamed up to win two of the three $69,444 OHSS pacing splits for three-year-old colts with Myboypank and Up In Place.
Myboypank ($15.80) won the first division in a 1:50 clocking for owner Sam Bowie. The Catch The Fire-Bazooka Terror gelding rallied from seventh at the eighth pole for his fifth win in eight lifetime starts, upping his bankroll to $73,859. He is three-for-four this year. Pacesetter Lindy Dragonwater (Page) was second with Pet Project (Trevor Smith) third.
The Alagna/Luna combo captured the last division with Up In Place ($7.60), who recovered from an early break and was first-up through the back half to go three-for-three on the season. The son of Lather Up-Helens Place Girl, winning for the fourth time in 11 career outings, stopped the clock in 1:50.4 for owners John Barnard and Alagna Racing LLC. Prolific Blend (Austin Hanners) finished second, followed by Odds On Sugar (Luke Hanners).
Racing continues at Scioto Downs on Wednesday with three carryovers on the 16-race card: a $5,322 superfecta carryover for Race 1, $3,931 Pick-4 carryover starting in Race 3 with a $15,000 guarantee, and a $4,173 Super Hi-5 carryover for Race 4.
(With files from Scioto Downs)