The Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association will host Charity Night on Saturday, June 6, at Northfield Park Racino.
Nine charities are participating in the event, and each has been paired with a horse in the seventh race of the card. A video of the draw pairing the charities with the horses is available below.
The charity paired with the first-place finisher will receive $10,000 USD, while second and third place will receive $5,000 USD and $3,000 USD, respectively. All other charities will receive a $2,000 USD donation from the OHHA for participating.
The participating local charities are: A Kid Again, Down the Stretch Racehorse Aftercare and Rescue, Forever Friends Foundation, Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, Hattie Larlham Center for Children with Disabilities, HELP Foundation, JRC Cares, Spur for the Cure, and The Emergency Assistance Center.
A Kid Again is based in Columbus and serves families across the central Ohio region who are raising children with life-threatening conditions by providing cost-free, fun-filled destination events throughout the year. These events, known as Adventures, allow families to take a break from doctor visits and hospital stays to enjoy quality time together.
Down the Stretch Racehorse Aftercare and Rescue offers retiring racehorses a new purpose when their days on the track come to an end. Located in North Ridgeville, Ohio, the nonprofit focuses on offering a safe haven through rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming to qualified and loving adopters.
Forever Friends Foundation is a 100 per cent volunteer-based nonprofit animal rescue that seeks to reduce the unwanted pet population through spay and neuter programs and adoption. Based in Northfield, Ohio, the organization provides comprehensive medical care, routine vaccines, and other services with the hope of finding each foster animal a loving forever home.
Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes criminally abused, neglected, and abandoned farm animals. Located in Ravenna, Ohio, the organization provides compassionate, hands-on care to the animals at the sanctuary and collaborates with rescues across the nation as an ASPCA/Right Horse adoption partner.
Located in Mantua, the Hattie Larlham Center for Children with Disabilities enhances the quality of life for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families throughout northeast and central Ohio. The organization provides long-term medical, residential, recreational, educational, and work training and employment services.
The HELP Foundation empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, day support, vocational, and summer education programs. Based in Euclid, Ohio, the organization supports pathways to give every individual the chance to thrive and reach their full ability with the goal of contributing to a vibrant, inclusive community.
JRC Cares empowers individuals to achieve their full potential through early childhood education, adult day care, and intergenerational programs. Based in Canton, Ohio, the nonprofit provides opportunities for growth and engagement, empowers individuals to contribute positively to society, and is committed to fostering connections, enhancing well-being, and providing a supportive environment for all.
Spur for the Cure is an annual horseback trail ride benefit hosted by Centerra Co-Op and Purina Mills in Ohio. All proceeds from the event go directly to Akron Children’s Hospital to support pediatric cancer research. This year’s eighth annual Spur for the Cure is scheduled for Sept. 26 at Camp Manatoc Scout Reservation in Peninsula, Ohio, and includes an approximately two-hour trail ride along with lunch, gifts, and a raffle.
Based in Northfield, Ohio, The Emergency Assistance Center supports those in need by providing food and other basic necessities while leading a collaborative community effort to access resources that promote healthy lives. The organization’s goal is to provide every hungry member of its service area enough food to feed themselves and their family members and to offer other essential needs of hygiene in an atmosphere of dignity, respect, and fairness.
Saturday’s 16-race card at Northfield Park begins at 6 p.m. and features the $250,000 USD Battle of Lake Erie, $100,000 USD Buckeye Distaff, and 10 $20,000 USD Buckeye Stallion Series races.
Global Seeks Fifth Straight Win as Northfield Hosts Second Leg of BSS for Sophomore Colt Pacers
After not racing as a two-year-old in 2025, Global has gotten off to a wildly successful start this season.
“We got that horse in April (2025), and he didn’t train well, and we found he had cracked a splint bone that was already healing. So we just turned him out and waited until last fall,” trainer Brian Brown said. “He struggled a little bit in the winter in the turns, but by the time we were ready to go race, he was getting everything worked out, and he’s turned into a nice little horse.”
In seven starts thus far, the Downbytheseaside colt has exceeded expectations with five wins and one second while banking $59,997.
“Until we got him trained down, our expectations weren’t all that high,” Brown said. “But his second qualifier was pretty good, and from then on, he has improved every time out.”
Owned by Diamond Creek Racing, of Lexington, Ky., Global was one of six winners in the opening leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for sophomore colt pacers at Eldorado Scioto Downs on May 9. After leaving from the far outside, he led from the halfway mark on and won by half a length in 1:53.2 despite adverse conditions.
“It wasn’t the prettiest race, but considering he had the nine hole on a windy, cool day, for him to get home like he did was pretty impressive,” Brown said.
In a display of his continual improvement, Global followed that win with a victory in a lifetime-best 1:50.3 in an overnight race at Scioto on May 28. He has won four consecutive races overall and enters the second leg of the BSS on Saturday (June 6) at Northfield Park Racino as the 7-5 favourite in the first of five $20,000 USD divisions for three-year-old colt pacers. Dan Noble will be in the sulky, marking the fifth different driver Global has been paired with in as many races. David Miller, Austin Hanners, Chris Lems, and Cameron McCown have guided him to victory in his four prior starts, and Brown credits the horse for being adaptable.
“I have other horses who have different drivers, and they don’t do as well,” he said. “He lets the driver decide on what they’re doing, and he goes out and does it.”
Despite an unfavourable draw, Brown likes Global’s chances to make it five straight wins with five different drivers on Saturday against the likes of 3-1 second choice Stoke The Fire (Lems) and 4-1 third choice Thunder Jam (Brett Miller).
“I don’t like the seven hole, but Danny Noble can make gate speed as good as anybody in the country, and I’m sure he’ll get him in a good spot getting out of there,” he said.
Second Division
Fired Up Henry L, a runner-up in the first leg of the BSS, opened as the 9-5 favourite. Driven by trainer Hank LeVan, the Catch The Fire gelding has hit the board in all four seasonal starts with two wins. He closed his freshman season with a record of 7-5-3 in 20 starts and has career earnings of $93,241. He will leave from post four. At 4-1 on the morning line, Gypsys Brother (Tyler Smith) and Heerz Corinthian (B. Miller) are co-second choice and will leave from the rail and post six, respectively.
Third Division
First-leg winner Touchedbythesea (Chris Page) is the 9-5 morning line favourite and will leave from post two alongside 3-1 second choice Fire The Prez (Lems) at the rail. Trained by Ron Burke, Touchedbythesea is a Downbytheseaside gelding with two wins in four seasonal starts. Fire The Prez was the runner-up to Legends Rule in the opening leg. Legends Rule (B. Miller) opened with 12-1 odds and will leave from post seven.
Fourth Division
Odds On Mister X (Page) will leave from the far outside as the 5-2 morning line favourite. The Summa Cum Laude colt trained by Virgil Morgan Jr. has two wins in three starts this season after making just one start as a freshman. Ultimate Catch (Lems), the 3-1 second choice, will leave from post six.
Fifth Division
The Ebony Dragon (Luke Hanners) opened as the 9-5 favourite and will leave from post two. A runner-up in first leg of the BSS, the Fear The Dragon colt has a 1-1-1 record in eight seasonal starts. The Tyler Bates trainee racked up 12 wins and banked $67,422 in 17 starts as a freshman. Rock On Beach (Sam Widger) is the 3-1 second choice and will leave from post six.
Time Has Come Faces ‘Toughest Race to Date’ in Second Leg of BSS at Northfield
The second leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for sophomore colt trotters features a loaded field in the fourth division. With three first-leg winners — Bitcoin King, Eckert Hill Brady, and Time Has Come — vying to go two-for-two in this year’s BSS, that race could be a tight battle.
That race is one of five $20,000 USD divisions of the BSS for three-year-old colt trotters that Northfield Park Racino is hosting on Saturday. Leaving from post three, Time Has Come (Brady Brown) opened as the 2-1 favourite. But trainer Miles Wollam knows the Uncle Peter gelding will be tested in such a talented field.
“He’s raced some decent horses in the past, but this is probably his toughest race to date,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens.”
Owned and bred by Martin Wollam, of Brookfield, Ohio, and Acadia Farms, of Canfield, Ohio, Time Has Come was so named in recognition of the partnership’s advancing age. He has given that partnership much to celebrate. Lightly raced as a freshman, he won two of three starts, including a leg of the BSS at Delaware. Those results gave his connections high hopes for what he might be capable of as a sophomore.
“We knew we were probably sitting on something pretty good — that’s really why we raced him so lightly,” Miles Wollam said. “The few starts that he had were super impressive.”
Those high hopes have come to fruition thus far in 2026, as Time Has Come enters Saturday’s race with three wins and one second in four seasonal starts. One of those victories came in the opening leg of the BSS at Eldorado Scioto Downs on May 9 when he recorded a lifetime mark of 1:56.1.
“He had a couple good starts prior to that, so that wasn’t surprising at all,” Wollam said.
He may need to be even faster than that on Saturday, though, as Bitcoin King won his division of the opening leg in 1:55.4, which was a lifetime mark and the fastest among the five divisions that night. Bitcoin King (Dan Noble) opened as the 3-1 second choice and will leave from the far outside. Trained by Chris Beaver, the Uncle Peter colt has a record of 2-3-5 in 12 career starts, including 1-1-1 in four starts this year.
Eckert Hill Brady (Sam Widger), the 5-1 third choice on the morning line, will leave from post four alongside Time Has Come. The Uncle Peter gelding and Rosy Weaver trainee won his opening-leg race in 1:56.3. He hit the board in 14 of 16 starts as a freshman with nine wins and $94,209 in earnings and has one win and one second in three starts this year.
With Bitcoin King and Eckert Hill Brady also vying for an unblemished start in the BSS this year, Wollam expects Saturday’s race to be a good measuring stick for Time Has Come.
“It’ll be a good test for him,” he said. “I think he’s as good as anything at this point, but those are some pretty nice horses, so we’ll see how he stacks up.”
First Division
Deer In Range (Chris Page) will leave from the rail as the 8-5 morning line favourite. The In Range gelding is trained by Allen Miller. After not racing as a freshman, he has won five of six starts this year. Ready For Pictures (Chris Lems) is the 4-1 second choice and will leave from the second tier.
Second Division
Mister Moolah (Trevor Smith) opened as the 7-5 favourite and will leave from post two. The Ready For Moni gelding and Danny Collins trainee recorded a third-place finish in the opening leg of the BSS and has two career victories. Okay One More (Noble) and Hall Stead (Tyler Smith) opened as the co-second choice at 7-2 and will leave from the rail and post six, respectively.
Third Division
Lt Will B Awesome (Page) is the 7-5 morning line favourite and will leave from post three. Trained by Melanie Wrenn, the Long Tom gelding has two wins in six career starts. Mile Range (Brett Miller), the 3-1 second choice, will leave from post two.
Fifth Division
Ready For Sunshine (Luke Hanners), who scored a victory in the opening leg of the BSS in 1:57.2, is the 5-2 morning line favourite. The Ready For Moni gelding and Deborah Swartz trainee hit the board in eight of 11 starts with six wins as a freshman and has a 1-1-1 record in three starts this year. He will leave from post three. Dublins Striker (Miller) will leave from the rail as the 7-2 second choice.
(Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association / OHHA)