Driver Aaron Merriman and trainer Chris Beaver teamed up to win two of the four $68,493 divisions in the Ohio Sires Stakes for two-year-old colt trotters on Monday evening, July 15 at MGM Northfield Park. The pair won the opener with Uncle Moneybags and the final division with Caviar Creek.
Merriman took Uncle Moneybags (pictured above) to the lead off the gate and was making it look easy through the first half-mile with fractions of :29.4 and 1:00.3. As the field headed up the backstretch, Brett Miller pulled the favourite, Rose Run Ari, three-wide taking aim at the leader. Around the final turn, Rose Run Ari pulled even with Uncle Moneybags, but could not gain the lead. After fighting off the challenge from Rose Run Ari down the stretch, Uncle Moneybags held off a late-charging Silverton and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. to win by a length in 1:59.3. It was the first win in two starts for Uncle Moneybags. Beaver co-owns the Uncle Peter gelding with Barry Carter, VIP Internet Stables and Tim Homan. Silverton was second with Rose Run Ari third.
In the final division of the night, Merriman raced Caviar Creek to the lead but yielded to 1-5 favourite Whats Shakin and Ronnie Gillespie, settling into the pocket. Whats Shakin cut fractions of :29, :59 and 1:28.3 through the first three-quarters. Around the final turn, Rose Run Arch and Wrenn swung wide to take a shot at the lead, but Merriman took Caviar Creek down the passing lane blowing by the Whats Shakin to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:58.4. It was the first win of the year from the son of Triumphant Caviar. Beaver co-owns the two-time starter with Steve Zeehandelar, Leo Fleming and Mark Schwartz. Rose Run Arch finished second while Whats Shakin faded to third.
In the second division, Lt Loverboy and Kurt Sugg grabbed the lead off the gate but watched as Chris Page and Rose Run Alex went by after a :29.3 opening quarter. It wasn't long before Lt Loverboy retook the lead and never looked back, cruising to an easy 2-1/2-length win in 1:58.3. Lt Loverboy has hit the board in all three of his career starts, winning two. Daren Harvey trains the Long Tom gelding for Wayne Mast Jr. and Callam Racing. Rose Run Alex was second with What A Buckeye and Dan Noble finishing third.
Quintuplet, with Wrenn, had an easy time in the third division as five of the seven starters made breaks. Quintuplet led by four lengths in 1:59.1 for his second win in as many starts. Rosy Weaver trains the son of What The Hill for Mark Martin and Patricia Jury. Seven Lick Tom finished second for Chris Lems with Dublins Angel recovering to finish third for Merriman.
The Hanners brothers, Luke and Austin, each collected a win in the Buckeye Stallion Series action on Monday's card. The five $27,397 divisions of freshman pacing fillies closed out the first leg of the series.
Luke Hanners set the winning standard in the third division by driving Maa Honey to victory. Not to be outdone by his younger brother, Austin guided Racin Like A Star to the winner’s circle after the fourth division.
Maa Honey sat fifth, seven lengths off the lead at the half before moving into contention up the backstretch. The daughter of Well Said went three-wide around the final turn to grab the lead. At odds of 8-1, Maa Honey kept her momentum going, opening up to win in 1:56.3 by 2-1/2 lengths. Tyler Bates trains the filly for Sean Mcghee and Suzanne Bates. The victory was the fourth career win in five starts for Maa Honey. Big Bad Beachbunny and Kurt Sugg were second with Four Carat Rock and Noble finishing third.
In the next division, Austin Hanners made it look easy, taking 1-2 favourite Racin Like A Star wire to wire for the win. The Racing Hill filly set fractions in :29, :58.4 and 1:28 before defeating brother Luke and Trunk Bay Hanover by a length in 1:57.2. It was the first career win in two attempts for Racin Like A Star, who is trained by Steve Carter and owned by Jeff Fought Racing, Adam Friedland and Hunter Holton. Trunk Bay Hanover was second while Rose Run Alexandra and Anthony MacDonald were third.
Pink Jammies, with Hunter Myers, took the first division in 1:58.2. After an early miscue from the 1-5 favourite, Gorgeous Package, 12-1 shot Pink Jammies found herself in the lead for a brief moment. After settling into a pocket trip behind Whiskey Hill, the daughter of Fear The Dragon snuck into the passing lane to overtake her competitors in the final strides. It was the second win for Pink Jammies from four starts. Rosy Weaver trains and co-owns the filly alongside Heartland Acres. Gorgeous Package and MacDonald rallied for second with Whiskey Hill and Luke Ebersole fading to third.
Maddies Delite raced to the lead out of the gate and never looked back in the second division. Driven by Noble, the 1-5 favourite fought off challenges down the backside to win in 1:56.2 by 2-1/2 lengths. It was the third win in four starts for the Lather Up filly. Carter trains for Scp Stable. It was a dead heat for second between Spinal Cracker, with Trevor Smith, and the Merriman-driven Lily Grace Hill.
In the final division of the night, Cameron McCown worked 9-1 shot Guard The Fire through the field from sixth place on the backside. The daughter of Catch The Fire went four-wide around the final turn and charged down the stretch to win by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:56.4. Guard The Fire was making her first career start for trainer Brian Brown. The filly is owned by Hutchison Harness LLC. Fear My Heart and Luke Hanners were second with Downbytheastside and Wrenn third.
Ohio Sires Stakes action continues on Wednesday night at Northfield Park with the third leg for three-year-old filly trotters. Post time is 6 p.m. Meanwhile, the Buckeye Stallion Series continues on Tuesday night with the opening leg for two-year-old filly trotters at Eldorado Scioto Downs. First race post time at Scioto is 5:45 p.m.
(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association)