Driver Dan Noble continues to be on a hot streak as he captured both $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes splits for three-year-old trotting fillies on Friday night (July 14) at Scioto Downs.
The 34-year-old Xenia, Ohio native first scored with Gabbysloosechange in 1:58 and then with Vatanna in 1:55.4 in the third leg for sophomore diagonally-gaited distaffs.
The latter is conditioned by Jim Arledge, Jr., whom he owns in partnership with Dustin Arledge, Mt Sterling, OH; Jude Jacobs; and Mary McLoughlin, Lancaster, OH. The sophomore daughter by Dejarmbro is the ninth foal out of the Armbro Iliad world champion mare DJ Babe, 5, 1:55.2f ($395,746), who was also campaigned by Arledge, Jr., to numerous Ohio divisional titles. The 34-race winner was named Ohio Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year and Aged Trotter of the Year in 1998 and 2000.
Arledge, Jr. says Vatanna is an “extremely talented filly” who has been a bit slow to mature, and hopes she’ll continue to gain confidence in herself.
“She’s kind of lacked confidence all along and is just coming into her own,” he admitted. “She trained down well prior to this season, and as good as her mom was, I really believe that Vatanna is the best foal out of her, and that her best efforts are ahead of her.”
Vatanna is a half-sister to the Mr Vic mare Pink Ribbons, the first foal out of DJ Babe, who won 13 races and earned $236,525 en route to scoring a 1:54.3s record as a four-year-old. Vatanna also has half-siblings in Silly Dreams (by Pegasus Spur) 3, 2:01.3h ($27,215) and Stand Up Please (by Sand Vic) 2, 2:02h ($20,259).
This latest victory in her Ohio Sires Stakes event was certainly Vatanna’s most impressive, in part to the deft steer she received from Noble, who moved her three-wide at the 1:27.1 three-quarter mile clocking. She continued to race wide in the stretch and literally mowed down the leading 6-5 Rose Run Sydney (Jason Brewer) to score her second career win in 16 tries by a nose over her rival. Chim Swift (Aaron Merriman) notched show honors, six lengths behind.
Vatanna, sent off at 13-1 odds, returned $29.80 to win and pushed her career earnings to $51,215. She had previously finished third on June 17 at Northfield Park after a fifth-place finish on May 1 at Miami Valley Raceway.
Gabbysloosechange, a Chris Beaver trainee, was the 1-5 favourite in her OSS contest and did not disappoint her backers, going wire-to-wire with Noble sitting chilly in the sulky as his filly drew off by 2-3/4 lengths. The Marty Wollam-trained Purple Sona (7-1, Kurt Sugg) nabbed second, with 6-1 Away My Baby (Chris Page) getting up for third.
The Triumphant Caviar lass has yet to be bested in OSS competition this year as she won the first two legs of this series easily for Noble—in 1:57.2 (Leg 1) at Miami Valley Raceway on May 1 and in a career-best clocking of 1:54.4 (Leg 2) on June 17 at Northfield Park.
Beaver owns Gabbysloosechange in partnership with breeder Johanna Beaver of Deleon Springs, FL. This solidly-gaited trotting lass pushed her lifetime earnings to $68,500 with this latest victory, the fifth of her career in seven starts. She was unraced as a two-year-old.
Ohio Sires Stakes continue Monday (July 17) with five divisions of two-year-old pacing fillies vying at Northfield Park in the second leg of the series.
(Ohio Sires Stakes)