Ohio Sires Stakes and Opens highlighted the Friday night card at Scioto Downs.
The two and three-year-old fillies in their respective divisions went postward for their share of the $40,000 purse. There were nine total divisions for the trotting and pacing fillies and many favourites prevailed.
The Sire Stake action kicked off in race one on the 14-race card with two-year-old pacing fillies. A field of eight went behind the wings, including the 1-9 favourite, Bell Flower.
Bell Flower showed her talent and dominated the field in 1:55.3.
She's a daughter of Fly Fly Buckeye and Our Lady Countess. She's trained and partially owned by Fred Huff Jr and John Fairchild.
Coming off her impressive qualifier of 1:54.4, she didn't disappoint her supporters.
Chris Page had the lines and started from post two. The pair left for command and were the uncontested pacesetters. Page clicked fractions of :27.1, :57, 1:26.1 and cruised to a four and three-quarter length victory. Zoeys Lemon Tart and Aaron Merriman closed for second and Medoland Kendolin was third.
The second race on the program featured a field of seven two-year-old trotting fillies. Student Of Life prevailed in an impressive 1:58.3 for trainer and driver Marty Wollam.
Student Of Life is by Full Count out Lynns Slider. She's owned by Acadia Farms Inc and G&B Racing of Ohio.
The filly started from post three and that's were they got away. The heavy favourite, Bet On Chip with Chris Page driving for trainer Devan Miller, set the fractions of :29.2, :58.2 and 1:27.4. Giving Sammy Star and Merriman a perfect pocket trip, but it wasn't enough to fend off the late brush of Student Of Life. Bet On Chip was second and Sammy star was third. Only a neck separated these three fillies.
The third race resulted in a mild upset in the three-year-old trotting fillies' first division. Sandys Victory and Josh Sutton rallied in 1:57.2.
Sandys Victory is the daughter of Victory Sam and Amessageforsandy. Shes conditioned by Larry Tinch, who also owns with John E Reames.
The filly started from post eight in the field of eight and was the post time second choice. In The Grippers was the 3-5 favourite and she started from post one. Page used the inside to his advantage and clocked favourable fractions of :28.3, :59 and 1:27.4 with In The Grippers. He had company going to the three-quarters in the form of Sandys Victory. The filly wrestled the lead away in the stretch and trotted on to a one and a quarter length victory. Majesty Dream and Kayne Kauffman rallied for place and In The Grippers completed the trifecta.
Three-year-old filly pacer Crown Time Keeper kept her stellar season going with a career best effort of 1:54.
Crown Time Keeper and driver Page were the post time favourites at 2-5 and rightfully so.
The three-year-old filly by Feelin Friskie out of Crowntime Noreturn is trained by Steve Carter for owner and breeder Esther Crownover.
The filly didn't have her usually front end spot, but it didn't derail her. The fractions of :28 and :56.2 flushed her and she started her first over grind. Crown Time Keeper hit the three-quarters in 1:24.1 and finally cleared the game Lady Julie in the stretch and paced clear by two lengths. Lady Julie, trained by Jim Dailey, was a solid second and God Only Knows was a closing third.
Novascotia Hanover and Merriman won the $25,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace in 1:51.3.
A full field of 10 went behind the gate. Novascotia Hanover started from post three and used her lucky draw to her advantage. The four-year-old mare by Somebeachsomewhere out of Northern Sky received a perfect pocket trip behind the heavy favourite, Continual Velocity. She set the fractions of :27, :54.2 and 1:22.3 with the steady pressure from a parked Betterluvnexttime and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. Novascotia Hanover had some left in the tank when Merriman showed her racetrack and she responded by her one length victory over Continual Velocity and Danny Collins trainee Better Think Twice, who was a fast-closing third.
Karlee Sue and Josh Sutton took the second division of the two-year-old filly pace in 1:56.
The daughter of Feelin Friskie is trained and partially owned by Al Tomlinson along with Dennis Stolz and Daniel Mitchell.
Sutton and Karlee Sue stole the fractions of :28.3, :59.1 and 1:27 and fended off a strong rally by Friskie Lil Devil, who was second, and Hailstorm Grace was third for trainer Tom Blankenship.
Its Complicated and Sutton wired the field in the $25,000 Open Trot in 1:53.4. This win gives Its Complicated five victories in his last six starts.
The four-year-old gelding by Sjs Caviar out of Before The Rain is trained by Brent Davis for breeder and owner Hatfield Stables.
The upset minded Turbochargedroxie rallied in a division of the three-year-old filly trot in 2:00.4.
The steady rain that continued to fall quickly turned the fast track into a sloppy one.
The filly by Cayenne Turbo was driven by Danny Noble for trainer Danny Collins and owners Joyce McClelland, DM Stables Llc, Dean Davis and William Rufenacht.
She drew post nine in the field nine, but she had some luck and talent on her side. Getting away seventh in the full field as the heavy favourite, Anniesbluejeanbaby set the fractions of :29.3, 1:00.4 and 1:30.2. Noble was unhurried in the early going and he finally started making his bid at the three-quarters, but it was more than enough time. The filly caught Jim Lupton's Dellou by a head and Anniesbluejeanbaby was a tiring third.
Heavy favourite Paydaze On The Way and Sutton got the job done in 1:56 in their division of Sires Stakes.
Paydaze On The Way is a three-year-old daughter by Look Sharp out of Shantytown Girl. She's trained by the nation's leading trainer Ron Burke for Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold, Richard Lombardo and Karen Rose.
Greg Grismore and A P P Panda were placed second and Shakin Friskie was second-placed-third for going inside the pylons in the last quarter.
The final two divisions of the two-year-old filly trot rounded out the evening and the favourites prevailed.
Lisa Jane took her division in 2:03.3 for trainer Scott Cox and driver Ryan Stahl.
The filly by Neely Dunn is owned by Parent Racing Stable Llc and G. Peters of Ohio.
After mild fractions of :30, 1:02.1 and 1:33, set by Talissa and Jonas Hershberger, Stahl angled the filly out and got her underway from the back. Lisa Jane swallowed up race track and beat Song Of The Valley by a neck. Bettys Sam was third.
Sunrise Nibbles dominated her division for Page and trainer Chris Beaver.
The two-year-old trotting filly by Iron Duke is owned by Chris Beaver, Synerco Ventures Inc., Steven Zeehandelar and David Lang.
The perfect filly went to the front and never turned back. She drew clear by three and a half lengths from Dolly Dunn, conditioned by Brian Brown, and Dan Ater trainee Honey B took the show spot.
(With files from Scioto Downs)