Matetorockette took flight in the final eighth of a mile to win the fastest of four $27,778 divisions of the Buckeye Stallion Series (BSS) for two-year-old pacing fillies on Thursday, Aug. 21 at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
Getting away seventh from post five, Madetorockette watched from afar as leader Shes As Well (Noble) hit the opening quarter in :28.3. Pulling out as the field headed towards the :55.4 half, Madetorockette eventually had room to roll after the 1:23.4 three-quarters. Brett Miller swung her three-wide, and she blasted past four rivals in the stretch with a :27.3 final panel to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:53.1 over Shes As Well. Gothic (Trevor Smith) was third.
Owned and bred by Sharon Edelman, Madetorockette is trained by Jim Arledge Jr. The Pet Rock filly out of Standing Danette now has three wins in five starts and $86,321 in earnings.
Driver Chris Page won with Odds On Catherine in 1:53.3 in the second split, highlighting a grand slam on the card for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. Getting away fourth from the rail, Odds On Catherine didn’t sit long and was on the move shortly after the :27.3 opening quarter. After making the front before the second turn, Odds On Catherine led the field through the :56 half and 1:25 three-quarters. Eyes Up (Noble) made a move down the stretch after sitting in the pocket but could only get within a length of the winner. Fool Me Twice (Brady Galliers) was third.
Odds On Catherine, a daughter of Downbytheseaside-Miss L A, was a $202,703 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase by Odds On Racing. She broke her maiden in her seventh start and now has $26,276 in earnings.
The other winners for Morgan were Down Two Party ($3.60), Jet Wings ($3.80), and Ocean Tide ($3.40). Morgan increased his lead in the trainers' standings as he seeks to defend his Scioto title for the 30th straight year. He is now eight wins in front of Ron Burke on the leaderboard. Morgan's barn has tallied 155 victories across all tracks on the season.
In the last division of the BSS on the evening, Chris Page settled Queen Valerie in fourth for the early part of the mile as the field headed towards the :28.1 opening quarter with Odds On Dividend (Jeremy Smith) on the lead. Coming first-up towards the soft :58.1 half, Queen Valerie grinded it out going towards the 1:26.2 three-quarters, and by the top of the stretch she had pulled up to the leader’s wheel. Queen Valerie then rolled past her and won in 1:54.3 by a half-length over Bad Girl Up (Dan Noble), with Angel Secret (Randy Tharps) getting up for third.
Queen Valerie was purchased out of the Ohio Selected Yearling Sale for $70,270. By Summa Cum Laude-De Valeria, Queen Valerie is now two-for-six with $36,081 in earnings. Burke trains her for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and RAS Racing LLC.
Mingle In Dingle took the first division in wire-to-wire fashion 1:53.3. Leaving from post three, Mingle In Dingle led at the stations of :28, :56.2, and 1:24.3. The Brian Brown trainee won by two lengths over Foolish Beetrayal (Sam Widger). City Of Fear (Trevor Smith) was third.
Mingle In Dingle was a $12,162 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase by VIP Internet Stable. With two wins in four lifetime starts, the daughter of Dancin Yankee-Sebring Blue Chip has hit the board in each of her attempts. She has earned $32,340.
Racing continues on Friday at Scioto Downs with a full 16-race card, including five divisions of the Buckeye Stallion Series for two-year-old colt pacers, the $26,000 USD Open Trot, and the $25,000 USD Fillies and Mares Open Pace.
Tuesday, Aug. 26 is an added day to the Scioto schedule as it is an agreed-upon make-up date between the track and the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association. The box closes for the Tuesday card on Friday at 2:00 p.m.
(With files from Scioto Downs)