The Saturday card at Eldorado Scioto Downs on August 17 started off hot with a 1:49 opening race but even a power surge delay followed by a rain delay couldn’t dampen the racing events to come later in the card. Twin B Joe Fresh took the $136,987 Cleopatra Invitational for older mares, setting a new track record for female pacers of 1:48.2 while Seafire, a four-year-old Ohio-sired horse, won the $136,987 #SendItIn Invitational pace for older pacers in 1:48.
In the Cleopatra, Man Dontforgetme (Tyler Smith) took the early lead with Grace Hill (Hanners) settling in the pocket. Strong Poison (Noble) made an early move heading to the :26 opening quarter and made the lead just before they went under the line for the first time. Twin B Joe Fresh and Brett Miller, who floated away fourth from the rail, pulled at the :53.4 half, and by the 1:21 third-quarter was head-to-head with Strong Poison. Man Dontforget Me pulled from third to try and track down the leader but couldn’t quite get there, as Twin B Joe Fresh won by a length and a half; Zanatta (Eric Goodell) was third.
“I felt like a kid from the day before Christmas,” said winning driver Miller, when asked how he felt getting the call to drive Twin B Joe Fresh. “Dex (Dunn) told me all about her…she come first up and he said that she could just grind out there and take care of business and she did. I never even popped her ear plugs, she felt like she could have went much more.”
Twin B Joe Fresh, a four-year-old mare by Roll With Joe out of the Captaintreacherous mare Fresh Breeze, was bred by Brittany Farms. The Chris Ryder trainee now has $2,032,074 earned lifetime and has seven wins in eight seasonal starts. Twin B Joe Fresh is owned by Chris Ryder, Dexter Dunn, Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak.
In the #SendItIn, Carbine (Austin Hanners) rolled to the :25.2 opening quarter from the rail with Artatac A (Dan Noble) getting the pocket trip. At the :53.3 half Artatac A, pulled and brought along Seafire (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.) second over. Sprinting by the 1:20.2 third-quarter, Artatac A had made the lead which left Seafire with open track to sprint to the lead and win by two and three-quarter lengths in a new lifetime mark of 1:48. Buzzsaw Russ (Dave Palone) followed the Seafire cover but just could not overcome the margin to be second. Artatac A held on for third.
“I just wanted to use my post position to get away well and I was able to do so,” said Wrenn, Jr. “When Danny popped the pocket at the half, I was happy to be second over and luckily for me Danny’s horse cleared…at the three-quarter pole and my horse responded well.
“I was a little nervous, Buzzsaw Russ is a really nice horse and he sat behind me and I thought he had a lot of pace and he did. Luckily Brian’s done a good job with Seafire and he raced really well.”
Seafire, by Downbytheseaside out of the Towners Big Guy mare Wildfire Princess, was bred by Enos Weaver. Owned by Country Club Aces, Joelyn Ridder, Mark Kantrowitz and Scott Davis, Seafire now has $274,968 in lifetime earnings with seven victories this season in 11 starts.
There was a lot of movement in each of the two $89,041 divisions of the Ohio Sires Stakes for two-year-old filly trotters. Dream Something (Smith) took the first division in 1:55.4 and Rose Run Allison (Noble) took the second division in 1:57.
In the first division, Brink Street (Wrenn, Jr.) was the first to make the front going to the :28.1 opening quarter. Dave Palone pulled Freedom Hill first up and made the lead before going under the wire for the first time. Aunt Laura (Miller) was then first up heading to the :57 half and made the lead halfway down the backside. Dublins Dragonfly (Noble) applied pressure going to the 1:25.2 third quarter and around the last turn Brink Street came back to be three-wide with Dream Something four-wide. Dream Something and Aunt Laura battled it out down the stretch with Dream Something winning by a neck; Mega Money (Trevor Smith) got up for third.
The mile was a new lifetime mark for Dream Something, trained by Miles Wollam who co-owns with Julie Ann and Dale Sweet. The filly, by Uncle Peter out of the Glidemaster mare Travelin Dream, who was a $30,000 Ohio Select Sale purchase, now has three wins in five lifetime starts and $109,350 in earnings.
In the second division, Up (Chris Lems) took the early lead before the :29.2 quarter. Rose Run Allison pulled first up mid-way through the turn and made the lead, but stablemate Mocha Hill (Wrenn, Jr.) was quick to take over before the :59.1 half. Move Over Boys (Matthew Brown) made a quick bid to challenge from fifth but couldn’t make the top by the 1:28 third quarter. Rose Run Allison came out of the pocket and won by a length and a half over Mocha Hill. Aunt Lilly (Ty. Smith), who came three-wide around the last turn, was third.
Ron Burke trains Rose Run Allison for Burke Racing, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services and Beasty LLC. The filly by Long Tom out of the Broadway Hall mare Rose Run Timeless was a $105,000 Ohio Select Sale purchase and has now made $158,975 in five lifetime starts with three wins.
There were also three $41,096 open events held on the under card at Scioto. Alexa Skye (Noble) took the Filly & Mare Open Pace in her 100th lifetime start in 1:50.2. The seven-year-old mare by Somebeachsomewhere is trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr. for owners by Let It Ride and Odds On Racing. Her 31st lifetime win pushed her earnings to $673,511.
Flemsteen (Ty. Smith) overcame an early miscue to take the Open Trot in 1:53. The six-year-old gelded son by Explosive Matter is co-owned by trainer Chris Beaver, Bill Manes and RBH Ventures and now has 25 wins in 104 lifetime starts and $634,151 in earnings. Noble and Morgan, Jr. teamed up again to take the Open Pace with Chase H Hanover in 1:49.4. The six-year-old gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere is owned by Odds On Racing and Carl Howard. Chase H Hanover has 28 wins in 91 lifetime starts and more than $1.06 million in lifetime earnings.
The 90-day 2024 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet runs through Saturday, Sept. 14.
(Scioto Downs)