Up In Place scored his second straight Ohio Sires Stakes victory on Saturday, June 20 as Northfield Park hosted the third leg for sophomore pacers.
Driven by Marvin Luna, 1-5 favourite Up In Place won the first of two $$105,634 divisions of colts and geldings. The Tony Alagna trainee was a winner in the second leg in 1:50.4 at Eldorado Scioto Downs on May 25 and tripped the wire in 1:52.2 on Saturday, finishing 2-3/4 lengths ahead of Catch My Dragon (Tyler Smith). Rock Son (Dan Noble) was third. Up In Place is a Lather Up-Helens Place Girl colt owned by John Barnard of Miami, Florida and Alagna Racing of Howell, New Jersey. He is four-for-four overall this season and now has five victories and $162,765 in earnings in 12 career starts.
Skull N Crossbones and driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. won the second division of sophomore colt and gelding pacers. Trained by Ron Burke, the Downbytheseaside-Jolly Miss Molly gelding edged Prolific Blend (Austin Hanners) by a neck at the line in a lifetime-best 1:52. He went off with 13-1 odds and paid $29 to win. Favourite Pet Project (Trevor Smith) finished third. Skull N Crossbones is owned by Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Country Club Acres Inc. of Findlay, Ohio and Joe Sbrocco of Brecksville, Ohio. He now has three wins and $166,861 in earnings in 15 career starts.
Rodeo Dancer, driven by Brett Miller, recorded the fastest mile among the three $70,423 divisions of sophomore filly pacers, taking the second division in 1:52. The favoured Rodeo Romeo-Parts Unknown filly won by 1-1/4 lengths over Vanna By The River (Noble), marking her fourth victory in six seasonal starts. Shacarri (Chris Page) was third. Rodeo Dancer is trained by Steve Bauder for owners Oompa’s Farm of Cream Ridge, New Jersey and Robert Mondillo of Delaware, Ohio. She now has five wins and $178,210 in earnings in 13 lifetime starts.
Laughing Two and Dan Noble won the first division by three-quarters of a length in 1:53.4 for trainer Jim Graham, who owns the Lather Up-Lioness Hanover filly with Timothy Warner of Geneseo, New York and Lee Winters of Medina, New York. Seaside Shuffle (Page), the favoured defending divisional champion, and Odds On Dividend (Luna) rounded out the top three. Laughing Two paid $19.20 to win for the mild 8-1 upset. She has won three of six seasonal starts and now has 10 victories and earnings of $87,073 in 18 career starts.
Laude Da and Chris Page took the third division by a neck over favoured Kb Wrecking Ball (Noble), matching her lifetime mark of 1:53.4. Beach Babe Hanover (Justin Irvine) was third. Laude Da is a Summa Cum Laude-Real Diva filly trained by Burke and owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Knox Services of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. She has hit the board in 10 of 12 career starts with three wins and $257,234 in earnings. This was her first win of the season following three runner-up finishes and she returned $5.40 at the betting windows as the second choice.
Celebrating its 50th season, the Ohio Sires Stakes continues on July 4 with the fourth leg for sophomore filly trotters and pacers at Scioto Downs.
(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association)