The Luther brothers -- owner Greg Luther and trainer Todd Luther -- and driver Austin Hanners swept the $180,541 Ohio Breeders Championship for two-year-old filly pacers on Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Delaware County Fair.
In the second and fastest $90,270 division, Hanners fired Skywalker Sea (pictured) out of post position five and grabbed the early lead before sprinting past the quarter in :27.3. The field of six raced in single file past the half in :56.3 before Lilly Grace Hill (Kayne Kauffman) was the first to challenge, but was parked three-quarters in 1:24.3 while Skywalker Sea began to open up. Skywalker Sea used a :28.1 last quarter to win by power away from the field and romp by 7-3/4 lengths in 1:52.4.
The homebred daughter of Downbytheseaside went to the winner’s circle for the third time in 2024 and pushed her earnings to $157,515.
The complexion of the first division changed when the heavily favoured The Word Is Out (Chris Page) made a break in stride at the start, allowing Prolific Fire to grab the early on her way to winning in gate-to-wire fashion in 1:53.3. Queen Of Fear (Brett Miller) was a length back in second. The Word Is Out rebounded to take the show spot.
The winner is from the first crop of Catch The Fire and was bred by Spring Haven Farm.
Chris Page gave Seafire a patient steer and was able to wear down the pacesetting Act Fast (Aaron Merriman) in the final strides in the $46,649 OBC Aged Pace.
The four-year-old Downbytheseaside stallion sat second behind Act Fast through the quarters in :26.4, :54.2 and 1:21.1. Page angled the eventual winner off the rail in the final turn to score by a nose in 1:50. Charlie May (Dan Noble) was third in the three-horse win photo.
Seafire is conditioned by Brian Brown for Country Club Acres, Joelyn Ridder, Mark Kantrowitz and Scott Davis. He was bred by Enos A. Weaver.
Sophomore trotters kicked off the fifth leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series on Sunday at the Delaware County Fair. Four $27,027 divisions, two for fillies and two for colts, went behind the gate.
Tammie Sue set a new lifetime mark of 1:57 in the first division of fillies. Driver Chris Lems left alertly from the fifth post position with Tammie Sue and never looked back. The daughter of Long Tom set fractions in :29.3, :59.2 and 1:27.4 before tripping the wire with 2-1/2 lengths to spare. Desert Hayz (Greg Bateson) finished second and Uncle Petes Dream (Chris Page) was third.
Tammie Sue has won six of her 18 seasonal starts under trainer Scott Cox and owners Wayne Mast Jr. and Callam Racing.
The second division was won by Westfiftyfive in 1:57.1. The daughter of Long Tom sat in the pocket for only a moment before pulling at the :28.3 opening quarter. Guided by Chris Page, Westfiftyfive held off challengers to post remaining fractions in :58.1 and 1:27.2. Westfiftyfive cruised across the wire to win by 1-3/4 lengths. Hot Tea (Tyler Smith) was second while Lady Almas (Brett Miller) finished third.
The victory marks the first series win for Westfiftyfive. She has hit the board eight of 14 starts this season. Trainer Ron Steck co-owns Westfiftyfive alongside Gary Condit.
Gabbys Rockytop notched his first Buckeye Stallion Series victory in the opening division of colts. Aaron Merriman settled 10-1 longshot Gabbys Rockytop into the pocket behind 1-9 Irresistible Son (Anthony MacDonald). Gabbys Rockytop stayed patient as the quarters passed in :28.2, :58.1 and 1:26.1. The gelded son of Triumphant Caviar made his move at the top of the stretch. Pulling to the outside, Gabbys Rockytop tripped the wire in 1:55.2, winning by a head. Irresistible Son held on for second with Rose Run Zoom (Tyler Smith) in third.
Despite not starting his two-year-old year, Gabbys Rockytop has now hit the board six of 15 starts. Chris Beaver trains and co-owns the gelding with Johanna Beaver, Mineral Lick Farm and Steven Zeehandelar.
The final division was won by Tabbys Delight and Trevor Smith in 1:57. The gelded son of What The Hill got away sixth in the field of 10. Tabbys Delight gapped back and raced from the middle of the pack as fractions were posted in :27.3, :57.1 and 1:26.3. At the top of the stretch, Tabbys Delight pulled four-wide and dug in to win in his final stride. Uncle Ruckas (Aaron Merriman) was second by three-quarters of a length and His Glory (Chris Page) finished third.
Trent Stohler conditions Tabbys Delight. Unstarted as a two-year-old, Tabbys Delight has now won half of his 10 lifetime starts for owner/breeder Benjamin Graber.
Driver Steve Oldford, substituting for the Southern Tier Amateur Club at Tioga Downs, won the $6,757 Tim Fouts Memorial Standardbred Driving Championship. Oldford steered JKs Champ to a 1:54.4 victory. The winner is owned by Robert A. Rodrigues and trained by Walter Haynes Jr. The event brings the top amateur drivers from around the country.
Christina Johnson watched a pair of duelling leaders and benefitted from the quick pace and guided Nothingbutadreamer to a 1:55.1 victory in the second division of the amateur trot.
Larry Ferrari and Lmc Mass Gem took the first division in 1:58.
(With files from Delaware County Fair and Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association)