Robert Key’s homebred Looking For Zelda trotted confidently to establish a new Northfield Park track record of 1:54 for a three-year-old trotting filly on Monday night, Aug. 20 in the first of two $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes.
The daughter of Break The Bank K—My Winning Ways left the gate confidently for driver Tony Hall and quickly established command, striding diagonally through fractions of :27.3, :56.1 and 1:25, before posting a :29 final brush to score her fourth victory of the year in eight starts, and her second in the four-leg OSS series.
Looking For Zelda, who left the gate at odds of 3-1, finished 2-1/2 lengths in front of 11-1 Risky Deal (Don Irvine, Jr.), with 35-1 Count On Rosey (Kurt Sugg) grabbing third place honours.
The new track record time of 1:54 replaced the former record co-held by Sturdy Lori (2002) and Gabbysloosechange (2017).
Looking For Zelda now has $104,019 in seasonal earnings, $60,000 of which have been earned in the OSS series to date. Lifetime, she’s amassed $332,694 from 11 wins, two seconds and two thirds in 19 career starts. She finished third and fourth respectively in the first two OSS legs, then won leg three in 1:54.1 at Scioto Downs.
The second $50,000 OSS division went to the Brent Davis-trained Spunky Bottom Girl in 1:54.2. This daughter of My MVP—Princess Addie is a homebred owned by Illinoian Ed Teefy.
After leaving handily from the gate at 7-2 odds, Spunky Bottom Girl wrestled the lead away from the hard-trying 4-5 favourite, Sesame (Aaron Merriman) going to the :28.2 first quarter. Sitting comfortably on the front end for driver Tyler Smith, Spunky Bottom Girl then took the field of seven to a :57.3 half and a 1:25.3 three-quarter clocking, before trotting home in :28.4 to finish a neck ahead of Sesame at the wire. Impinktoo, the 3-1 choice, was third for Kayne Kauffman.
Spunky Bottom Girl had finished sixth in leg one before winning leg two in 1:55.4, and was sixth again in leg three. She now has $50,000 earned in this series and $75,458 in seasonal earnings. Her lifetime bankroll stands at $93,683 from five wins, five seconds and one third in 23 career starts.
The first four legs of the OSS for sophomore trotting distaffs are now complete. The top nine fillies that are eligible to the $275,000 Championship on Sept. 8 at Scioto Downs are as follows, with their points listed in parenthesis: Non Smoker (153); Looking For Zelda (124); Spunky Bottom Girl (104); Impinktoo (91); Red Storm (79); California Love (74); Sesame (71); Risky Deal (54); and Count On Rosey (31).
(OSDF)