Secrets Ilia got back to her winning ways, and Blue Ranger broke her maiden on Tuesday, Aug. 25 in $102,740 Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) divisions for two-year-old filly trotters at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
Brett Miller got Secrets Ilia away third off the gate while Missredwhitenblue (Luke Hanners) took the field to the :27.3 opening quarter. Going into the second turn, Secrets Ilia pulled first up as the leader tripped the half-mile beam in :56. Midway down the backside, Secrets Ilia took over and brought the field past the 1:25.3 three-quarters. Coming home in :28.1, Secrets Ilia won by 1-1/2 lengths in a career-best 1:53.4 over Made For More (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.); Shinie T (Aaron Merriman) was third.
Secrets Ilia won for the fourth time in six career starts after a break last out interrupted a three-race win streak. The daughter of Long Tom out of the Cjs Secret mare Cjs Super Secret, bred by Mose Yoder, has $165,806 earned for trainer Micah Miller and owners Wayne Mast Jr. and Callam Racing LLC. She paid $7.80 to win.
The other division was won by Blue Ranger, a full sister to Hambletonian runner-up Big Ranger, in 1:54.1.
Rose Run Cybill (Kurt Sugg) took the field to the :27.3 opening quarter, but Envious Queen (David Miller) quickly took over and headed the field towards the :56.3 half. Blue Ranger (Wrenn) sat in fourth until the field straightened out on the backside, when the filly came first up. Just off the leader’s wheel as Envious Queen got to three-quarters in 1:25.1, Blue Ranger posted a :28.3 final fraction to win by 1-1/2 lengths. Rose Run Cybill came up the passing lane to be second with Envious Queen third.
Blue Ranger scored her maiden win in her third start for trainer Marcus Melander and owner Bender Sweden Inc. The $291,666 Ohio Selected Yearling Sale purchase from breeder Spring Haven Farm, by In Range out of the Tactical Landing mare Big Blue Bird, now has $59,821 in earnings. The win price was $4.80.
Luke Hanners steered home six winners among the 15 dashes on the night and combined with trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. for the latter three tallies. Hanners first won with Joyridin Hd ($43.20), Threshold ($18.80) and General Dolan ($2.80), then drove the Morgan-trained Dancing Stranger ($5.80), High Seas ($6) and Five Sixteenths ($3.60) to victories. Hanners has racked up 322 wins this year, his highest total to date. Morgan, Scioto's perennial leading trainer, has 221 tallies across all tracks in 2026.
Live racing at Scioto continues Thursday, Friday and Saturday, each with a 16-race card starting at 5:25 p.m. Thursday’s card includes two $75,000 USD divisions of OHSS for two-year-old colt trotters, Friday’s card has two divisions of OHSS for three-year-old filly pacers, and on Saturday, two divisions each of two-year-old colt and filly pacers and three divisions of three-year-old colt pacers highlight the program.
(With files from Scioto Downs)