A quartet of $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for two-year-old trotting youngsters fired up the Northfield Park crowd on a lovely cool and mildly breezy Friday evening, July 12.
Expect The Sweep, the 5-2 choice, took the first OHSS division with a 1:57.2 front-stepping performance with Aaron Merriman steering the brown gelding. Owned by Leo Fleming, Martin Yoder and Steven Zeehandelar, the son of Triumphant Caviar was making just his second lifetime pari-mutuel start under the tutelage of trainer/co-owner Chris Beaver.
Expect The Sweep had finished a handy third in OHSS leg one and finished a length ahead of 6-5 Count On Barney (Kurt Sugg), with 18-1 Action Uncle (Brett Miller) nailing down third-place honours in this second leg.
Expect The Sweep upped his career earnings to $24,800 with this first career triumph. As the son out of the Lockkeeper mare Locksweeper 2, 1:54.1z ($105,247), this trotter is a half-brother to Roseberg (by Manofmanymissions) 5, 1:57.4f ($83,965) and Reds Winner (by American Winner) 3, 1:59f ($57,610).
Merriman, North America’s leading reinsman, was back in the winner’s circle for the second OHSS contest, this time with another Triumphant Caviar freshman, the 3-5 favourite Exhibit Class. The bay homebred gelding trotted to a 1:58.1 clocking via come-from-behind tactics for trainer Sean Smithpeters and owner Marion Beachy. Exhibit Class had finished second in leg one of the OHSS series to the winning Wading Boots, and now has $30,000 in career earnings.
Attache was second for Ronnie Wrenn Jr., just a length behind the winner at odds of 3-1, while 6-1 Larochelle Hanover was third for driver Hunter Myers. Exhibit Class is the third and most prolific foal out of the Classic Photo mare Classic Blaze 5, 1:55.3 ($27,185).
Even-money favourite Its Academic benefited from a perfect steer by driver Chris Page to capture the third OHSS division easily in 1:57.3. The Ronnie Burke-trained son of Uncle Peter had won his first OHSS leg on July 4 at Scioto Downs and no problem scoring his third consecutive lifetime victory in as many tries for owners Burke Racing, Bill Donovan, Joe Sbrocco and the Hatfield Stables.
Its Academic finished 1-1/4 lengths in front of the 2-1 hard-trying Doubleyellowline (Brett Miller), while 35-1 longshot Pete Stamas did well to finish third for Kayne Kauffman. The winner now sports a hefty bankroll of $43,400 for his connections. Bred by Gbw Breeding Farms of Ohio, Its Academic is the first foal out of the Muscle Hill mare Annapolis 3, 1:55 ($49,594).
Another Uncle Peter youngster, the 9-5 Big Box Hanover, also made his second trip to the winner’s circle in OHSS competition, having won leg one at Scioto Downs on July 4 in 1:57.4. For the second leg, the Dalton Walls-trained gelding was clocked in 1:59, finishing half a length in front of 19-1 Howyadoingub (Brett Miller) with 50-1 Greek Legend (Kayne Kauffman) notching third-place money.
Big Box Hanover is owned by Bruce Soulsby and Dalton Walls and was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms. He is the ninth foal out of the Donerail mare Box of Dreams 3, 1:58.1f ($86,100) and is a half-brother to Boadicea Hanover (by Andover Hall) 2, 2:01.4f ($113,287), Ballare Hanover (by Broadway Hall) 5, 1:55 ($98,552) and By Cance Hanover (Cantab Hall) 3, 1:59f ($34,811).
(With files from Ohio State Racing Commission)