Ocean Downs' leading trainer, Michael Hall, swept both $36,215 divisions of the Maryland Standardbred Race Fund (MSRF) Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies on Wednesday, Aug. 7, sending both Ragtime Red and Little Instigator to open-length wins over the seaside half-mile oval.
Ragtime Red (pictured above) drilled a 1:55.4 maiden-breaking mile in the second division to take top honours. In line to Trae Porter, the Getitoffyourchest-Red High Heels filly left from post two and seated Preclude (Jonathan Roberts) in the pocket through a :29 first quarter. After rating a :59.1 half, Ragtime Red edged clear of Preclude up the backstretch, opening a 3-1/2-length lead to three-quarters in 1:27.3 before sprinting home in :28.1 to evade a late charge from 3-5 favourite Lyons Benz (Victor Kirby) by 2-1/2 lengths. Bella Artiste (Jim Morand) rallied to collar Preclude for third, another 14-1/2 lengths behind. Ragtime Red, who paid $4.80 to win as the 7-5 second choice, competes as a homebred for David Banks.
In the first division, William and Sarah MacMillan's Little Instigator got back into the win column by way of a pillar-to-post 1:57.2 score, good for her third career win in five starts. Jonathan Roberts put the Heston Blue Chip-Last Time To Play filly in play from post four and she cleared Baby Doll Jordyn (William Carter) before the :28.4 first quarter. After rating middle splits of :59.1 and 1:28.1, Little Instigator pulled away to defeat Baby Doll Jordyn by 3-1/4 lengths, with Pawny (Corey Braden) finishing a neck farther back in third. She paid $2.10 to win.
K J The Thirteenth took top honours among two-year-old trotting fillies with a 2:01.4 maiden-breaking win in her $32,951 MSRF split. Tony Morgan sat last in a four-horse field with the Il Mago-My Kid Sister filly before swinging three-wide up the backstretch and vaulting four lengths clear of Take It Easy. John Wagner trains K J The Thirteenth for Kelsey Wagner and co-breeder Scott Woogen. The filly paid $2.80 to win.
In the other $32,951 MSRF split for rookie trotting fillies, Casino Magic and driver Roger Plante Jr. gapped 1-10 leader Watch Me Goo This (Johnathan Ahle) by 15 lengths at the 1:31 three-quarters, but inherit the lead as the tempo-setting favourite broke stride turning for home. Casino Magic, a daughter of Il Mago-Emilys Ego, got to the line a neck in front of the recovering Watch Me Goo This in 2:03.1, with Yall Know Me third, beaten only a length. Steve LeBlanc trains two-time winner Casino Magic for his LeBlanc Racing Inc., William Lutz Jr., Count De Money Stable and Douglas Johnson. Casino Magic returned $11.60 to win.
Leading drivers Johnathan Ahle and Porter steered three winners apiece on the 11-race card while Morgan fashioned a double.
Live harness racing returns to Ocean Downs on Thursday, Aug. 8. The 11-race card features the $23,500 USD final of the Diane 'Mum' Stevenson Claiming Series. First post is 7:05 p.m.
(With files from Ocean Downs)