Crazy Wow turned in a 1:52 track record performance to win the $200,000 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot at Scioto Downs on Saturday night (June 10) for driver Chris Page and trainer Ron Burke.
With the inside post, reigning divisional champion Obrigado (Mark MacDonald) took the lead off the gate, but catch-driver Chris Page had Maxie Lee champion Crazy Wow rolling from post eight and they cleared through a :26.2 opening quarter.
Crazy Wow trotted on to the half in :55.1 and three-quarters in 1:23.1 with Hemi Seelster (Brent Holland) pressing first-over while Centurion ATM (Aaron Merriman) fanned three-wide from the backfield turning for home.
Down the stretch, Obrigado was the closest threat and tipped out of the pocket, but couldn't catch Crazy Wow and came up second-best in his season's debut, finishing one and three-quarter lengths behind. Musical Rhythm (Peter Wrenn) came on for third.
“I can’t believe how it all worked out,” said Page after the victory. “I intended to get him involved in the race early on, but I wasn’t planning on going to the lead. When the wings were still unfolding off the gate, I looked to my left and wondered where everybody else was. He just took me out there all on his own and from there on it was all him. I could not have asked for a better trip.”
The millionaire son of Crazed is owned by Our Horse Cents Stables, Stable 45, J And T Silva Stables LLC, and Deo Volente Farms LLC. The win was Crazy Wow's second in a row following three straight runner-up finishes to start his five-year-old campaign, and he has now banked $231,500 this year. Lifetime, he has won 17 of his 47 starts and over $1.8 million in purses.
A trio of $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes -- each clocked in 1:51.2 -- were also contested on Saturday night at Scioto Downs. This was Leg 2 of four in the lucrative series for Ohio-bred three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Crowd favourite (3-2) McThriller captured the first OHSS division handily with Chris Page at the lines. Conditioned by Brian Brown, the altered son of McArdle led at every quarter mile marker to notch his first victory of 2017 in his third try.
“I talked to Brian (trainer Brown) before the race and he said he thought this colt would be tough to beat off the front end,” Page offered.
Nr Holdings LLC, TLP Stable and Howard Taylor own McThriller, who upped his career earnings to $155,522 with this latest triumph.
Bred by Gbw Breeding Farms Inc., McThriller finished a neck in front of the late-closing Lightning Onmyfeet (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), while Sugar Island (Mark Evers) was third, six and a half lengths back at odds of 36-1.
Brown also harnessed Barnabas to win OHSS division two. The brown McArdle gelding was steered by Ronnie Wrenn Jr. to a near-perfect neck victory over rival Major Nemesis, who had lead throughout until the final yards for driver Tony Hall. Mr McDreamy (Aaron Merriman) picked up show honours.
“This horse had a long ship up from Florida and just wasn’t himself earlier this season,” Wrenn Jr. acknowledged. “But he was awesome in his last start and raced back tonight just as strong.”
A winner of six races in his career now and $108,314, Barnabas -- who towers over his rivals at 17-plus hands tall -- was bred by Hickory Lane Farm’s Kevin Greenfield and is owned by the Ohio quartet of Country Club Acres, Joe Sbrocco, Richard Lombardo and William Robinson.
Drunk On Your Love utilized come-from-behind tactics to triumph in the third OHSS division with Dan Noble in the bike. The Foreclosure N gelding is conditioned by Jim Pollock Jr. for Mark Ford and Jason Settlemoir, and now has seven career wins and $123,500 in his lifetime bank account.
“This colt just keeps getting better with maturity,” Noble offered. “He was a very good colt as a two-year-old and has continued to mature into an even stronger three-year-old.”
Drunk On Your Love was all alone at the wire, some six and a quarter lengths in front of 14-1 Banderbear (John Campbell) and 7-5 McRaven (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.).
Ohio Sires Stakes action continues Saturday, June 17 at Northfield Park with three-year-old filly trotters vying and three-year-old colt trotters battling on Monday, June 19 at Scioto Downs.
(With files from OSDF & USTA)