Two-year-old Sires Stakes champions, Gabbys C Note and Sea Silk, wasted no time defending their titles as both were easy winners in the first leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes at Miami Valley Raceway Wednesday night (May 4).
Gabbys C Note and Kirsi Dream were winners in the trotting divisions, while Sea Silk and Secret Side Piece were the pacing winners. Each division carried a purse of $55,000.
In the first Sires Stakes race of the year, Kirsi Dream with Tony Hall fired at the start and took the lead, covering the first quarter in :28.2. Toes In The Water, the 4-5 favourite, took over the lead covering the half mile in :57. Trace Tetrick kept the favourite on the front past the three-quarter pole in 1:27.
As the field headed to the final turn, Hall popped the pocket and Kirsi Dream took control at the top of the stretch, pulling away to win by three and a half lengths tripping the wire in 1:54.4.
Kirsi Dream went off at 7-2 and paid $9 to win. Breckenridge and Aaron Merriman finished second while Toes In The Water was third.
The daughter of Uncle Peter won for the second time this year and has earned $31,250 this year. Kirsi Dream is trained by Miles Wollam and is owned by Dark Horse Farms LLC.
In the second trotting division, Aaron Merriman took Gabbys C Note to the lead at the quarter pole in :28.3 and the 2-5 favourite never looked back. Gabbys C Note covered the half in :58.3 and the three-quarters in 1:27 and pulled away down the stretch to win in 1:55.2.
The daughter of Triumphant Caviar is trained by Chris Beaver and paid $2.80 to win.
Favourite Aunt with Brett Miller was second by a head over Toast The Host and Trace Tetrick.
Gabbys C Note has won two out of three and earned $50,000 this year for her owners, Chris Beaver, his mother Johanna and Steve Zeehandelar.
In the first division for the filly pacers, it took a photo finish to decide the winner.
Ronnie Wrenn Jr. raced Twenty to the lead covering the first quarter in :27. Twenty gave up the lead to stablemate and 4-5 favourite Cape Cod Hanover and Chris Page as they hit the half in :55.3
The field bunched up down the back stretch as Catamaran, the third Ron Burke trainee, made a charge to the front. The three hit the three-quarter pole in 1:23.3.
Cape Cod Hanover maintained her lead and started to pull away down the stretch holding off her stablemates but closing hard in the middle of the track was Secret Side Piece and Cameron McCown.
The daughter of Downbytheseaside stormed down the lane catching the favourite at the wire in a lifetime mark of 1:51.4 for her first win of the season. Do It Like Bobbi finished third.
Trained by Brian Brown and owned by Black Magic Racing, Secret Side Piece went off at 12-1 and rewarded her backers, paying $27.20 to win. Secret Side Piece has three wins and earnings of $135,449.
In the final Sires Stakes race of the night, Sea Silk made it look easy as the 1-9 favourite. The daughter of Downbytheseaside set a new track record winning in 1:50.2 in her season debut.
At the start, Dragon’s Revenge and Dan Noble raced to the lead at the quarter pole in 27.3.
Chris Page and Sea Silk sat third but not for long as Page pulled and covered the second quarter in :27 to grab the lead at the half in :54.3.
Sea Silk maintained her lead at the three-quarter pole in 1:22.3 and pulled away down the stretch to win by two lengths.
Sea Silk is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver-Bruscemi, Knox Services, and Hatfield Stables. She has now won ten of twelve races and has lifetime earnings of $611,592. Trained by Ron Burke, Sea Silk paid $2.10 to win.
The three-year-old colts will take the track Saturday (May 7) at Miami Valley Raceway for the first leg of Sires Stakes action with two divisions each for trotters and pacers.
(Ohio Sires Stakes)