Two-year-old filly pacers Shesafirewoman and Seaside Shuffle won a pair $89,041 Ohio Sires Stakes divisions impressively on Friday, July 25 at Eldorado Scioto Downs. The freshmen each followed up victories in the July 13 leg at Northfield Park for a Sire Stakes repeat.
Luke Hanners guided Shesafirewoman to victory in the faster division, clocked in 1:51.4. Leaving from post seven, Shesafirewoman initially got away third but kept right on rolling towards the front past the :27.2 quarter. Leading through middle splits om :56.4 and 1:24.3, Hanners popped the plugs at the top of the stretch and Shesafirewoman smartly held off a late-closing kick from the favoured Shacarri (Chris Page), winning by three-quarters of a length in a new lifetime mark. Vanna By The River (Austin Hanners) was third.
Shesafirewoman is a homebred for Harry Horowitz and now has four wins in five starts and more than $100,000 in earnings. Mark Winters trains the striking roan filly by Catch The Fire out of the McArdle mare Shesasmokinlady.
Chris Page took the other division with Seaside Shuffle, who lowered her lifetime mark to 1:52.3. Also initially getting off the gate third from post three, Seaside Shuffle moved early to make the top by the :27.4 quarter. Seaside Shuffle was shuffled to the two-hole as favoured Deep Satin (Mike Micallef) took over for middle fractions of :56.3 and 1:24.4. Popping the pocket before the top of the stretch, Seaside Shuffle drew clear to win by two lengths. Deep Satin finished second with Shes Lit (Tyler Smith) third.
Bred by William Walters and Joe McLead, the Downbytheseaside filly out of the Santanna Blue Chip mare Hula Shuffle was a $155,405 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, Knox Services and R A S Racing. Trained by Ron Burke, Seaside Shuffle is now a perfect three-for-three with nearly $95,000 in earnings.
The Friday night card included six $27,397 divisions of the second leg of Buckeye Stallion Series for two-year-old colt pacers, and Chris Page took the first division with odds-on favourite Odds On Sugar 1:52.1 for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. and his partners Odds On Racing, Sugar Valley Farm and Operation Horsepower. After getting away in the two-hole from post nine heading to the :27 opening quarter, the Downbytheseaside-Laughandbehappy colt took over and led through fractions of :56.1 and 1:24 before coasting home to win by two lengths.
The Ebony Dragon, driven by Luke Hanners, was a gate-to-wire winner in his division in 1:52.3. After leaving from post six and leading through the :27, :56.3 and 1:24.4 panels, The Ebony Dragon won comfortably by a 1-3/4 lengths. Ty Bates trains the Fear The Dragon-Glorious Virgin colt, who is owned by Suzanne Bates and Cedar Point Beach Racing.
The husband and wife, driver and trainer combination of Cam and Jessica McCown won the third divisionwith Heerz Corinthian in 1:53.2. Also a gate-to-wire winner, Heerz Corinthian went through quarters of :28.1, :57.4 and 1:25 before posting a :28.2 last quarter to win by 2-1/2 lengths. The Downbytheseaside-Rainbow Writer gelding is owned by Heerzthestock Inc., Tripoli Stable and Susan Sullivan.
Odds On Phil took the fourth division in 1:53 with Sam Widger at the lines. Getting away third from the rail, Odds On Phil sat through the :27.1 quarter and moved first-up shortly after the :55.4 half. Parked to the 1:24 third quarter, Odds On Phil won handily by a 1-3/4 lengths over Tsunami Seas (Austin Hanners) in a 1-2 finish for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. The Lather Up-Beach Granny colt is owned by Odds On Racing.
In a blanket finish for the top three in the fifth division, Wagon Day and Kayne Kauffman emerged victorious in 1:53.3 by a nose. After starting from the outside post seven, Wagon Day trailed the field through opening panels of :27.4 and :57. On the way to the 1:24.2 third quarter, Wagon Day started making his move and weaved through traffic down the stretch to win by a nose. Prince Of Fire (Austin Hanners) came up the passing lane to be second with Odds On RPJ (Noble) third. Wagon Day, who went off at 81-1 and paid $164 to win, is a homebred for Julie Farley. Mike Polhamus trains the Summa Cum Laude-Western Mandy gelding.
And in another close call, Stoke The Fire got out on top to win the last division in 1:53.1 by a nose. Leaving the gate from post seven, Chris Lems got Stoke The Fire away third but quickly moved towards the front after the :27.2 opening quarter. After setting the tempo to the :56.1 half and 1:24.3 third quarter, Stoke The Fire held off a fast bid down the lane from pocket-sitter Captains Dance (Justin Irvine) to win. Stoke The Fire, by Catch The Fire out of Nyanna Hanover, is trained by Scott Cox and leased by Terri Mt Pleasant.
Racing continues on Saturday at Scioto Downs with an first post off-time of 5:52 p.m. Saturday’s races include stakes for colt pacers, including three divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes for two-year-olds and a single division of 10 three-year-olds. There will be a $40,000 guaranteed Pick-5 that starts in Race 1, boosted with a $12,316 carryover from Friday’s card.
(With files from Scioto Downs; photo of Shesafirewoman winning on July 25)