Forty-two two-year-old pacing colts and geldings will battle in five Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) contests Saturday night, July 22 at Northfield Park.
Each division -- races four, six, eight, 10 and 12 -- for these Buckeye-fathered freshmen sports a purse of $40,000. First race post time is 6 p.m. ET.
Each of the eight Leg 1 winners are returning for this second round of action in the four-bout series, which culminates with a $250,000 Championship Final on September 2 at Scioto Downs. To be eligible to Ohio’s most lucrative series for state-bred two and three-year-olds, owners nominate their youngsters by March 15, who must be sired by an Ohio-based stallion registered with the Ohio State Racing Commission.
Stallions represented by progeny participating in Saturday’s OHSS tests include Pet Rock, with 13 foals; Dragon Again with 10; McArdle with six; and Big Bad John with three. The stallions Im Gorgeous and We Will See each have a pair of freshmen competing, while those with one foal each in Leg 2 action include Charley Barley, Mr Apples, No Pan Intended, The Panderosa, Woodstock and Yankee Cruiser.
Leg One winners Born To Be Bad and Rock On Creek will square off in the first division (Race 4). Born To Be Bad, a son of Big Bad John, hails from the Ron Steck Stable and scored a wire-to-wire triumph in 1:55.1 at Scioto Downs on July 4. Josh Sutton is back in the bike from post three behind the winner of $27,250, who has two wins and a second in three starts.
Rock On Creek’s lone victory in as many starts saw him pace in 1:55.1 for trainer Brian Brown in that first OHSS leg at Scioto on July 4. The son of Pet Rock also used wire-to-wire tactics to get the job done with Chris Page in the sulky. He’ll start from post eight in Leg 2.
The third OHSS division (Race 8) features a trio of Leg 1 winners set to wage war. Trainer Brenda Teague’s Sip And A Bite will be looking for a repeat of his 1:54 score on July 4 at Scioto Downs. The unaltered son of Im Gorgeous hails from post two with Brenda’s nephew Montrell Teague driving for his father/owner George Teague Jr.
Trainer Chris McGuire will harness Harambe Deo from post one in this same division. The bay son of Woodstock won his July 4 debut at Scioto by four lengths in 1:55 for driver Kayne Kauffman, who gets the nod again Saturday from the rail.
Sectionline Bigry has been saddled with the eight-slot in this division for trainer Steve Bauder and driver Aaron Merriman, who steered the Pet Rock gelding to a 1:54.2 clocking in round one on July 4 at Scioto Downs. The homebred is owned by Harold Lee and Harold L. Bauder of Delaware, Ohio.
The Ron Burke-trained Seeing Eye Single is the lone Leg 1 winner going postward in the fourth OHSS division (Race 10) on Saturday evening. The gelded son by the ill-fated Dragon Again won a pair of Meadows qualifiers before storming to a 1:53.1 triumph at Scioto on July 4. Dave Palone has been behind Seeing Eye Single in all three contests and Saturday will be no exception as the duo leave from post two.
In OHSS division five (Race 12), two of the fastest Leg 1 winners will spar, from post seven and eight, respectively. The aunt and nephew combo of Brenda and Montrell Teague send out Lather Up, who blazed to a 1:52.2 clocking in Leg 1 on July 4 at Scioto. The son of Im Gorgeous is a homebred owned by Harrington, Delaware breeders Gary and Barbara Iles.
Letsallrock also paced to a 1:52.2 victory that same afternoon at Scioto, for the partnership of trainer Jeff Smith and driver Tyler Smith. The Pet Rock gelding was bred by Kathy Smith and is co-owned by Smith and J. S. Everhart and C. Young of Greenfield, Ohio.
(OSFD)