The $1 million USD Saturday, August 23, race card at Eldorado Scioto Downs is packed with a quartet of Grade 3 $100,000 USD events, headlined by the standout pacing mare Sylvia Hanover. First post time for the 16-dash card is 5:52 p.m.
The Cleopatra Invitational attracted a field of nine, with Sylvia Hanover (pictured above) drawing post three and installed as the 2-1 morning line favourite. Tim Tetrick will drive the five-year-old Always B Miki mare, who has three wins and a second in her four most recent U.S. starts, including wins in the G3 Clara Barton and G2 Lady Liberty.
The #SendItIn Invitational has a full field of 10 with 5-2 race favourite Little Rocket Man leaving from post six with Jeremy Smith in the bike. Women Layer (Tetrick) will leave from the trailing spot looking to secure his third straight victory, of which the first in the series (on Aug. 9) was a Scioto track record performance of 1:47.3.
Tetrick also gets the call on Odds On Hialeah, the 9-5 favourite in the Nadia Lobell for three-year-old pacing fillies. Trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. sends out the Lather Up filly who has four wins in five seasonal starts. Chris Page will drive the other Morgan trainee in the field, Downbytheseaside filly Odds On Chesapeake, who has six wins in eight seasonal starts and earnings of $253,575 so far this year.
Mocha Hill comes off a 1:53.2 mile at Pocono Downs in the Delmonica Hanover and leads a short field of six in the Moni Maker for three-year-old trotting fillies. The What The Hill filly is the 2-1 slight favourite over another Ohio-sired filly, Mega Money (by Triumphant Caviar), who is 5-2 on the morning line. Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. will drive Mocha Hill, with leading dash winning driver Aaron Merriman behind Mega Money.
The Moni Maker will be presented in honor of Hunter Myers, who drove the inaugural Scioto Downs winner Allegiant.
All four $100,000 USD events will race out of a six-hour detention at Scioto Downs.
The 16-race Saturday card also features 11 divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes action for two-year-olds. All of the divisions split three ways, except for the filly pace which has two divisions.
Three horses — Demonic Niko, Shesafirewoman, and Ready Russell — are looking to stay perfect in this year’s Ohio Sires Stakes
Dan Noble will drive Ready Russell and Demonic Niko in their quest to make it four-for-four.
Ready Russell opened as the even-money favourite in the second division of colt trotters and will leave from the far outside. The Deborah Swartz-trained Ready For Moni gelding won a division in the opening leg of the OHSS at Scioto in a lifetime-best 1:55 and posted victories in each of the next two legs at MGM Northfield Park in 1:56.4 and 1:56.2, respectively. Overall, he has four wins in five seasonal starts with $114,796 in earnings. King Of The World (Tim Tetrick) is the 5-2 second choice. The Erv Miller trainee will be making his first career start in a purse race.
At 3-1, Demonic Niko opened as the co-second choice with Godusa (Tetrick) in the first division of filly trotters behind 5-2 morning line favourite Setyoursightshigh (Mike Wilder). Trained by Marcus Melander, Setyoursightshigh has hit the board in all five starts this season with four wins and one second and has earnings of $293,133. The In Range filly won the Next Generation for two-year-old filly trotters at Scioto in 1:56.3 and owns a lifetime best of 1:53.1, set at The Red Mile on July 30. This marks her first OHSS start of the season. Demonic Niko posted a lifetime-best 1:55.4 in her opening-leg win at Scioto and went on to earn a victory in each of the next two legs at Northfield in 1:57.1 and 1:56.2, respectively. Overall, Demonic Niko has five wins and one second in six seasonal starts with $229,102 in earnings. She is trained by Erv Miller. Godusa, a winner in the first leg in a lifetime-best 1:53.3, has two victories and one third in four starts this season. The Ready For Moni filly is trained by Nancy Takter.
The third horse looking to stay perfect, Shesafirewoman (Luke Hanners), is the 2-1 second choice in the second division of filly pacers behind 9-5 morning line favourite Shacarri (Chris Page), who will leave from the far outside. A Summa Cum Laude filly trained by Ron Burke, Shacarri was a winner in the third leg in 1:55 after finishing as the runner-up to Shesafirewoman in the second leg. She has three wins and one second in five seasonal starts with $149,048 in earnings and a lifetime best of 1:51.1 set at Scioto. Trained by Mark Winters, Shesafirewoman recorded a lifetime-best 1:51.4 in her second-leg win at Scioto. Her victories in the first and third legs at Northfield came in 1:54.3 and 1:54.2, respectively. The Catch The Fire filly has five wins and one second with $152,775 in earnings in six seasonal starts.
Here's a look at the other divisions set for Saturday.
Colt Trotters:
Three prior winners in this year’s OHSS — Bitcoin King (Tyler Smith), Ur Ride Is Here (Brady Brown), and Water Slide (Aaron Merriman) — are in the first division. Ur Ride Is Here is the slight 5-2 morning line favourite over 3-1 second choice Water Slide, while Bitcoin King opened as the 7-2 third choice. Trained by Steve Schoeffel, Ur Ride Is Here posted his lone win of the season in the first leg in 1:59. The Ready For Moni gelding was third in the second leg. Another Ready For Moni gelding, Water Slide has hit the board in five of six starts this season with his lone win coming in the second leg in 1:58.1. He was the runner-up to Ur Ride Is Here and Bitcoin King in the first and third legs, respectively. The Chris Beaver trainee will leave from the rail alongside Ur Ride Is Here in post two. Uncle Peter colt Bitcoin King is also trained by Beaver. He has hit the board in all four seasonal starts with his lone victory coming in the third leg in 1:58.2. He was third in each of the other two legs.
Two-time OHSS winner Special Moni (Tyler Smith) is the 7-2 third choice in the third division behind 3-2 morning line favourite Big Ranger (Ronnie Gillespie) and 5-2 second choice Tom Largo (Chris Lems). Trained by Gillespie, Big Ranger is three-for-three this season, winning the Next Generation for two-year-old colt trotters in a lifetime-best 1:54 and posting victories in the opening leg of the OHSS in 1:54.4 and the Ohio State Fair Stakes in 1:56. The In Range colt has $173,954 in earnings. He will leave from post four next to Tom Largo in post three. Tom Largo has three wins in five starts this season. The Long Tom gelding is trained by Scott Cox. Special Moni won a division in each of the second and third legs in 1:58.3 and 1:56.4, respectively. The Ready For Moni gelding is trained by Beaver. Rose Run Banker (Page), a winner in the first leg in 1:56.1, opened with 6-1 odds.
Colt Pacers:
Pet Project (Trevor Smith) opened as the 8-5 favourite in the first division. A winner in the third leg in 1:53.3, the Kimberly Dailey trainee placed third in the opening leg. Overall, the Pet Rock gelding has two wins and one third in four seasonal starts. Illbetyourboots (Page) is the 2-1 second choice. Trained by Burke, the Summa Cum Laude gelding won the Next Generation for two-year-old colt pacers in a lifetime-best 1:52 and recorded a win in the opening leg of the OHSS in 1:54 as part of three seasonal wins.
Prior OHSS winners Crocodile Station (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), Gentlemans Club (Merriman), and When Is Parade (Page) are in the second division. Leaving from the far outside, Crocodile Station opened as the 2-1 favourite. Trained by Michael Hitchcock, the Downbytheseaside gelding has two wins this season, including one in the third leg of the OHSS in 1:53.2. Burke trainee When Is Parade is the 7-2 second choice. The Summa Cum Laude colt has two wins and two thirds in four seasonal starts. He took a division of the third leg in 1:53.2. Gentlemans Club, who won a division in the opening leg in 1:54.3, opened with 5-1 odds. He is trained by Aaron Lambert.
Sparks N Fire (Austin Hanners) is the 2-1 favourite in the third division. The Catch The Fire colt is trained by Todd Luther. He has three seconds and one third in four seasonal starts and was a runner-up in the first and third legs of the OHSS. Lindy Dragonwater (Page), a winner in the first leg in 1:54.2, is the 3-1 second choice. The Burke trainee has two wins and one third in four starts this season. Swelce (Wilder), who posted a victory in the first leg, will open at 9-1 odds and has two wins, two seconds, and one third in six seasonal starts.
Filly Trotters:
Two-time OHSS winner Lucky Lady Volo (Tetrick) is the 7-2 second choice in the second division behind 6-5 morning line favourite Joyofmylife As (Noble). Trained by Anette Lorentzon, Joyofmylife As is three-for-three this season with all three victories coming in the Buckeye Stallion Series. The Guardian Angel As filly recorded a lifetime-best 1:55.1 in her third-leg BSS win at Scioto. Lucky Lady Volo is an In Range filly trained by Erv Miller. She posted a win in each of the first two legs of the OHSS in 1:56.2 and 1:57.3, respectively.
In the third division, Mockingbird As (Noble) opened as the slight 5-2 favourite ahead of 3-1 second choice Speedbewithyou (A. Hanners) and 4-1 third choice Rose Run Brooke (L. Hanners). Mockingbird As, a winner in the third leg of the BSS, is trained by Lorentzon. The Guardian Angel As filly posted runner-up finishes in her other two starts this season. Speedbewithyou, a Luther trainee, posted a win in the first leg of the OHSS in 1:55.1 and was a runner-up in the second leg. Overall, the Mission Accepted filly has two wins, one second, and one third in five seasonal starts. Rose Run Brooke won a division in the third leg in 1:58.1.
Filly Pacers:
Leaving from the rail, Stride For Stride (Justin Irvine) is the 3-1 morning line favourite in the first division. Trained by Garry Martin, the Lather Up filly has four wins in five starts this season and owns a lifetime best of 1:53.3. Shehasaway (Brett Miller) is the 7-2 second choice. The Summa Cum Laude filly is trained by Steve Bauder and has one win and one second in two seasonal starts.
Two-time BSS winner Seaside Shuffle is not entered in the third leg.
(with files from Scioto and Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association)