Emoticon Legacy put separation on the field to set a new track and world record for four-year-old stallions as he won the $347,222 Grade 2 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot in 1:50.2 on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
An uncharacteristic break by favourite On To Norway (Yannick Gingras) as the field left the gate allowed 2025 Charlie Hill winner Hillexotic (Austin Hanners) to go straight to the front from post four, hitting the quarter in :27.1. Scott Zeron got Emoticon Legacy away third and tipped out as the field went by the :55.2 half. By the 1:23 three-quarters, Emoticon Legacy drew head-to-head with Hillexotic, then peeled away to win by six lengths. On To Norway recovered to snag second over Warrior (Dexter Dunn).
Emoticon Legacy, fresh off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Maple Leaf Trot, took his second win in seven starts this year. The Luc Blais trainee by Walner-Emoticon Hanover is a winner of 13 races and $1,856,283 in earnings from 24 career starts for owner/breeder Determination of Montreal, Que. He has a lifetime best of 1:49.2 set at The Red Mile.
“I’ve raced against him enough to have a lot of respect for him,” said Zeron, who sat behind the horse for the first time Saturday. “I felt like I had the best horse in the best spot really. I spoke to his driver last year, Louis-Philippe (Roy), and he gave me all the instructions to get in the winner’s circle today. He’s an incredible animal, and I could feel the speed he was giving me coming out of the last turn, so we just rode it out.”
The previous track record of 1:50.4 was set by Winners Bet in the 2024 Charlie Hill. The previous world record of 1:50.3 was co-held by Uncle Peter (set in 2013) and Nordic Catcher S (matched in August 2026).
Emoticon Legacy was the 7-5 second choice and paid $4.80 to win.
Jim Ewart Memorial Pace
Roland Mallar’s Ken Hanover took the $361,111 Grade 2 Jim Ewart Memorial Pace with a parked-out trip in 1:48.
Tim Tetrick got Ken Hanover away sixth as Women Layer (David Miller) was parked heading towards the :26 opening quarter. Jordan Stratton had For Once Inmy Life on the move from the word go and made the front as the field straightened out down the stretch for the first time, getting to the half in :53. Pulling from third, Dandy Ideal (Jason Bartlett) came first-up to make the lead by the 1:20.1 three-quarters, towing Harrisburg Heist (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) second over, with Ken Hanover stalking third over. Ken Hanover pulled three-wide in the last turn and sprinted away to win by 2-3/4 lengths. Bythemissal (Chris Page) came up the middle of the track to finish second, with Clever Cody (Luke Ebersole) closing to get third.
Ken Hanover’s last start was on Aug. 22, and to prep for Saturday’s Ewart, Mallar opted to qualify him at The Meadowlands, where the stallion went a 1:48.1 mile with a :25.3 last quarter.
“I think he’s rounding into where he was last year, when he was sharp,” said Mallar. “He needed that qualifier at The Meadowlands to get stretched out. When you race against these types of horses, you have to be ready to go, and qualifying in 1:55 ain’t going to do it.”
“This year I got to drive him, and he started the year off really good,” said Tetrick. “He qualified super and then just went through a little lull spot. I think last year when the weather got cooler, he got hotter, so I’m hoping he does the same thing.”
Mallar said that for Ken Hanover, now three-for-10 this year, the plan is to take him to Hoosier Park, Dayton Raceway, The Red Mile and the Breeders Crown.
Ken Hanover is owned by Mallar in partnership with Patrick Leavitt, William Jordan and Dennis Osterholt. The six-year-old stallion by Captaintreacherous-Kjs Justine now has 24 lifetime wins and $1,807,876 in earnings through 68 outings. He went off at 5-1 and paid $12.20 to win.
Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championships
Scioto hosted eight $416,667 Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) Scarlet Championship finals on Saturday, with three-year-old trotting colt Big Ranger and three-year-old pacing filly Seaside Shuffle each adding a second title to their respective resumes. Sophomore trotting filly Mooter Tooter and three-year-old male pacer Tsunami Seas also prevailed in their divisional finals.
In his first appearance since his Hambletonian heartbreak, Big Ranger was much the best in his OHSS championship. Leaving from the outside post nine for driver Tim Tetrick, Big Ranger floated away and patiently stalked Tom Largo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) through a :27.4 opening quarter. Landing on the lead around the three-eighths mark, Big Ranger faced nary an anxious moment through middle fractions of :55.1 and 1:23.3 before opening up on his eight rivals. Closing in :28 with little movement from his driver, Big Ranger hit the wire in 1:51.3 with a 3-3/4-length margin to Tom Largo. Special Moni (Aaron Merriman) rounded out the top trio.
"He's cool," Tetrick told Jessica Otten as part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast on Fox Sports 2. "He's got so much athletic ability and he's so easy on himself. He's great gaited. I just don't fall off, hit the gate or anything like that, and he takes care of the rest."
Big Ranger, who missed by a nose in the Hambletonian on Aug. 8, now boasts a 13-1-0 summary from his 16 lifetime starts with $1,277,725 in earnings for owner Madison Global. The son of In Range-Big Blue Bird, bred by Spring Haven Farm, is six-for-nine this year.
According to trainer Anette Lorentzon, Big Ranger's next start could be in stakes action at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, but that's yet to be determined.
As the 1-9 choice, the defending divisional champion paid $2.10 to win.
Seaside Shuffle's title defence looked in jeopardy at the head of the lane, but driver Chris Page found room up the pylons, and the daughter of Downbytheseaside-Hula Shuffle closed with authority to pick off Vanna By The River (Aaron Merriman) in a lifetime-best 1:50.4 effort. She pressed for the front to the :26.1 quarter but dropped in behind Vanna By The River and was shuffled to third by the brush of Rodeo Dancer (Brett Miller) on the way to a :54.1 half. Fifth past the 1:21.2 three quarters, Seaside Shuffle shifted two lanes inside in the stretch and surged to a half-length victory. Rhodena Blue (Trevor Smith) edged out Sassy By The Sea (Tyler Smith) for the show spot.
"Last week (in a 1:51.3 OHSS prelim win) she raced very good, so I knew we were coming into the race in good form," said Page after the victory. "Luckily I had room down the passing lane and, like I said, we prepped her for tonight. She was very good last week, won in the handholds, so it's kind of cool when a plan comes together."
Seaside Shuffle is trained by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc. and R A S Racing LLC. With the victory, her seventh in 26 career starts, Seaside Shuffle now boasts a bankroll of $921,691. She was bred by Billy Walters and Joseph McLead. As the 4-1 third choice, she paid $10 in her third win from 14 attempts this term.
After racing in New York earlier in the day, drivers Yannick Gingras and Dexter Dunn rolled into Scioto just ahead of the evening's ninth race, the three-year-old filly championship.
And the race came down to a photo between the two jetsetters, with Gingras's Mooter Tooter getting up in the final strides to upset Dunn's favoured Setyoursightshigh in a 1:53.3 mile.
Chip Shot (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) cleared to the lead after a :27.4 opening quarter, and then doled out middle splits of :57 and 1:24.4 with Godusa (David Miller) pressuring first up. Setyoursightshigh sat second over, with Mooter Tooter third over in the final 400 metres. Dunn angled Setyoursightshigh into the three path around the far turn, with Gingras fanning Mooter Tooter four-wide to set up a wild five-across finish. Chip Shot couldn't hold off the backfield, as Mooter Tooter and Setyoursightshigh closed aggressively and hit the wire nearly in unison. The photo revealed Mooter Tooter as the winner, by a neck, to earn a new lifetime mark. Chip Shot finished third.
"A little delay with the weather, we had to go around some storms," said Gingras in reference to his later-than-planned arrival. "Thankfully, the judges and management here, they were working with us on waiting a few extra minutes to get here. It's very much appreciated.
"Early on in the race I kind of liked my spot, but that second quarter, we were going so slow. I pulled right away to get the flow moving a little bit. I thought I was following two of the best fillies but sometimes with slow fractions, somebody gets away on the lead. She came home real strong."
Mooter Tooter, a daughter of Long Tom-Moots, is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., Beasty LLC and R A S Racing LLC. After going winless in seven starts at two, the filly bred by Wayne Weaver is now a five-time winner in 13 outings as a sophomore with $391,572 in lifetime earnings. Sent off at 12-1, she paid $26.80 to win.
Burke also won with Cleveland Darby in the two-year-old filly pace championship as part of his stakes triple. The filly out-duelled co-world-record-holder Tempting Flames in the stretch to upset at 18-1.
Page got Cleveland Darby away fourth in a :27.1 opening split and pulled after the :54.2 half. Getting a second over trip behind Thought I Had It (Trevor Smith) through three-quarters in 1:22.3, Cleveland Darby made the lead part-way through the last turn and fended off track-record holder Tempting Flames (David Miller) by a length for the win; Jar Of Hearts (Ronnie Gillespie) finished third.
“Trust the process…because she’s been just a little bit hot,” said Page. “She’s maturing and that’s one. Two, Ronnie’s done a great job rigging this filly. He adapts through the season with changes. We’ve opened her all the way up; tonight we were able to take the ear hood off and put ear plugs in her. She’s just maturing and everything was geared her up for tonight and it’s cool when it works out.
“I knew I was going forward out of the gate, I didn’t know where I was getting away. When David (Miller) was behind me with the fast fractions and Trevor (Smith) pulled and I was second up, it was just a dream trip, it really was. Then it just comes down to the best filly at the light.”
Cleveland Darby, by Downbytheseaside out of Loreenas Ruffian, is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, R A S Racing LLC and Larry Karr and was bred by Carl Howard. The win was her fifth in eight starts, and she now has $426,751 in earnings. Cleveland Darby, who went off at 18-1, paid $39.80 to win.
Tsanami Seas closed out the OHSS championships on Saturday night with a determined effort in the final for sophomore male pacers.
Starting from the rail, driver David Miller left enough to forwardly position 4-5 favourite Tsunami Seas in third as Prolific Blend (Austin Hanners) got the first call in :27. Miller moved Tsunami Seas to the outside after that opening quarter, cleared to the front before a :54.1 half and then kept the tempo honest through the 1:21.1 third station. Hanners angled Prolific Blend from the pocket in the stretch, but Tsunami Seas stormed home in :28.2 for the 1:49.3 score. Prolific Blend finished a length back in second with When Is Parade (Wrenn) at the bottom of the triactor ticket.
"He really is versatile," Miller told Jessica Otten. "We know we put him here on the front a lot because he's the best. Tonight, he came into this race very sharp and I wasn't too too worried about fractions or anything.
"He dug right in when Austin (Hanners) moved on him. I felt pretty confident down by the wire that he wasn't going to get by."
Tsunami Seas is a son of Downbytheseaside-Foxy Rigger bred by Country Club Acres Inc. and L & H Management Services. He's now a seven-time winner from 19 career starts with $390,525 in earnings for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. and owners Jeffrey Rector, Larry Wills and Hutchison Harness LLC. As the favourite in the eight-horse field, Tsunami Seas paid $3.80 to win.
Despite early-day rain, Ohio Super Night started off with a bang when the first championship race was won in track-record time. Blue Ranger joined big brother Big Ranger on the Scioto stats sheet, winning the two-year-old filly trot in 1:53.1.
Aaron Merriman got Blue Ranger away fifth from post five while Made For More (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) was first to the :27.2 opening quarter. After briefly letting Miz Ella Paige (Sam Widger) to the front, Made For More took back over to control the tempo to the :56.4 half. Kissme Ifyoucan (Austin Hanners) cruised down the backside and made the top just at as the field hit the 1:24.1 three-quarters, leaving Blue Ranger to come first up. Coming off the turn, Blue Ranger cruised towards the finish line, winning by 3-1/4 lengths over Kissme Ifyoucan; Miz Ella Paige was third.
“I was really surprised actually (to pick up the drive)," said Merriman. "I haven’t been following as close as I could, you know, being off all summer, I’m just blessed to have some drives. She was very, very good…she’s very professional. She went pretty easy. Maybe it was kind of a blessing, where I missed all summer, so maybe I would have had a commitment.”
Blue Ranger, by In Range out of Big Blue Bird, was bred by Spring Haven Farm. Owned by Bender Sweden Inc., the Marcus Melander trainee now has $268,154 earned in four lifetime starts. Saturday’s victory was her second, lowering her lifetime mark by a second and taking two fifths off the track record, set by Godusa in 2025. Going off as the 8-5 favourite, Blue Ranger paid $5.20 to win.
Another track-record performance, this time in serious rain, came from a battle to the finish with Donttruckwithme prevailing in 1:49.4 over Ocean Party.
Luke Hanners took Night Surfer to the front from post nine and hit the quarter in :26.2. Jett James (Brett Miller) swiftly moved to the lead, but it was short-lived as Night Surfer was back on top before the :53.4 half. Donttruckwithme, with Mike Wilder at the lines for Daren Harvey, sat in the three hole, and Wilder pulled him going to the 1:21.4 three-quarters. Ocean Party (Tim Tetrick) came from the back second over, and the two battled it out down the stretch. In a tight photo, it was Donttruckwithme who came out on top by a nose over Ocean Party; Night Surfer was third.
Chris Lems has driven Donttruckwithme all season, but due to an accident Friday, Wilder picked up the drive late.
“Lems is a great friend of mine and he’s done a whale of a job with this colt,” said Wilder. “Daren said he’s been real kind with him all year and I think he’s ready to race. So, hats off to Chris for getting this colt ready for this kind of race.
“They were duelling pretty early. I didn’t really want to come first up, but they worked real hard and he told me the colt would be really good tonight, and he was right. It was a thrill. I didn’t know if I was able to hold Timmy off. The colt did all the work, he just dug in.”
An emotional Harvey was full of praise for Lems.
“Let’s just say from the beginning, Chris Lems, he was it. He got the horse ready for this," Harvey said. "My emotions are heavy with that. I’ve had a great opportunity over my years watching Mike over at The Meadows. He’s an amazing horseman. He put in an incredible effort, that was tight.”
Donttruckwithme, by Catch The Fire out of Age Of Consent, was bred by Judy Roegner. The track-record performance was his sixth win in eight starts and pushed the gelding’s earnings to $582,610 for owners Wayne Mast Jr., Eden Acres Farmstead LLC and Kirk Nichols. The previous track record of 1:50.2 was set in 2020 by Charlie May. Donttruckwithme, the 5-2 co-second choice, paid $7.80 to win.
Cool Julio picked a great evening to break his maiden, winning the two-year-old colt trot in 1:55 for trainer Jeff Smith. Rolln In Moni (Brett Miller) took the early lead going to the :28.2 opening quarter, but when he became a bit steppy, Debt Free (Wrenn) took over and sent the field to the :57.2 half. Tyler Smith, driving for his father, had Cool Julio sitting fifth and was out and moving by the half but was still fourth at the three-quarter pole in 1:25.4. Coming down the stretch, Cool Julio won by a length over Mind On My Moni (Mike Wilder); Debt Free was third.
“It’s a good time to break his maiden, right?” said Tyler Smith. “We knew all along this horse had plenty of speed, it was just his manners. It’s not that like he’s real hot or anything, he’s so quick he doesn’t really know how to get in gear. But tonight, I got to hang on to him and in that last turn, I was just like, 'Stay trotting.'
“Actually Page’s horse kinda pulled up right there, and I had to check him a little bit (on the backside), and I thought 'Aw, he’s gonna run.' Northfield (when he broke past three-quarters on Aug. 17) was my fault, but over and over he’s gotten more mature and he’s a really nice colt.
“It’s unbelievable (to win for my parents). My dad and mom work so hard and they deserve it more than anybody.”
Cool Julio, by Cuatro De Julio out of Hit The Books, was bred by Double Spring Farm. Saturday’s victory came in his seventh lifetime start, and the gelding now has $264,901 in earnings for owner TDTrot LLC. As the 5-2 third choice, Cool Julio paid $7.60 to win.
A livestream replay of the Ohio Super Night card is available below.
(With files from Scioto Downs)