Ohio-sired filly pacers were on display on Friday, June 12 at Eldorado Scioto Downs as two more $41,667 series finals were held, the Steve McCoy and Skip Hoovler events.
The Steve McCoy, for fillies that were non-winners of one race of $7,500 USD lifetime, was oversubscribed in the two legs leading to Friday’s final, with four divisions each week. All the winners were back for the final and it was Sea Me and Luke Hanners who prevailed by a neck in 1:51.3 over stablemate Zooom Call (Chris Page). After setting fractions of :27.1 and :55.4 then being challenged going down the backside by Estuary (Marvin Luna), Sea Me fought back at the 1:22.4 third-quarters on her way to victory.
Co-owned by trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr., along with Florida's Let It Ride Stables and Odds On Racing, Sea Me is now three-for-four lifetime with $43,626 earned. The Downbytheseaside filly is out of the Bettors Delight mare Single Me and was unraced at two.
Rodeo Dancer swept the Skip Hoovler for non-winners of two races or $15,000 USD lifetime, winning the final in 1:50.2 with Brett Miller at the lines for trainer Steve Bauder. Leaving from post five, Miller looked to keep rolling through the opening quarter but took a brief seat as the field went around the first turn. Shortly after the :26.1 opening quarter, Rodeo Dancer rolled up to take the lead and tripped the beam at the half in :53.2 and three-quarters in 1:22. Laude Da (Page) came three-wide but could only get within f4-1/4 lengths of the race winner.
Rodeo Dancer is by Rodeo Romeo out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Parts Unknown. Owned and bred by New Jersey's Oompas Farm and Robert Mondillo of Ohio, the three-year-old filly now has four wins in 12 lifetime starts and $142,999 in earnings.
Racing continues on Saturday, June 13 with a hot 16-race card starting at 5:25 p.m., including two $75,000 USD divisions of the Ohio Sires Stakes for three-year-old colt trotters. Big Ranger, fresh off a track record mile in his last start, takes his first trip behind the gate in race 11 for the Anette Lorentzon barn. Tim Tetrick gets the call to drive, and the pair are listed as the 8-5 morning line favourite over Rose Run Banker (Page) and Tom Largo (Chris Lems), who are both 5-2. The other division of the OHSS kicks off the race program as race one. There will be two carryovers on the Saturday card – $1,966 for the $1 Pick-4 starting in race three and $1,880 for the $.20 Super Hi-5 in race four.
(With files from Scioto Downs; photo of Rodeo Dancer winning on June 12)