Sophomore trotter Tom Largo added to his Ohio Sire Stakes trophy collection, winning his $102,740 fifth-leg division on Monday, Aug. 24 at Northfield Park.
Tom Largo collected his fourth Ohio Sire Stakes trophy of the season, winning by 5-1/4 lengths in 1:54.4 with Chris Lems driving for trainer Scott Cox. The Long Tom-Smith Hall gelding's only defeat in the series was as a runner-up finish in Big Ranger’s track record 1:50.3 mile in the third leg at Scioto Downs.
Tom Largo won in gate-to-wire fashion on Monday, recording fractions of :28.2, :58.2 and 1:26.3 before closing out the open-length victory with a :28.1 final frame. Bitcoin King (Aaron Merriman) finished second over Special Moni (Dan Noble).
Tom Largo races for the Ohio ownership group of Jughead Stables of Strongsville, G Peters of Akron and Robert Kubiak of Strongsville. He has finished top two in all 11 of his seasonal starts with six wins and five seconds, and has 11 career victories and $484,398 in earnings from 20 lifetime starts.
Rose Run Boom fought off all challengers to earn his second Ohio Sire Stakes victory of the season with Luke Hanners driving for trainer Steve Carter. The In Range-Loconotion gelding fought off Wheres The Smoke (Sam Widger) and Deer In Range (Kurt Sugg) through fractions of :27.3, :56.1 and 1:25.3 before holding off the pocket-pulling favourite, Grape Crush (Dan Noble), at the end by half a length in 1:56. Water Slide (Merriman) rounded out the top three.
Rose Run Boom, who was third in the first three legs of the Sire Stakes, has earned four of his five career wins this year and now has $257,038 in earnings from career 20 starts. He is owned by Jeff Fought Racing of East Bernstadt, Kentucky, Brian Carsey of Cambridge City, Indiana, Adam Friedland of Brooklyn, New York and Jacob Beard of Mansfield, Ohio.
Celebrating its 50th season, the Ohio Sires Stakes continues on Tuesday, Aug. 25 with the fifth leg for freshman filly trotters at Scioto Downs. The OSS Scarlet Championships for all eight divisions are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 at Scioto Downs.
(Standardbred Canada with files from Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association; photo of Tom Largo winning on Aug. 24)