It was trainer Ron Burke's victory in the Little Brown Jug with Louprint that got the headlines, but the Burke Brigade was also out in force on the undercard at the Delaware County Fair on Thursday, Sept. 18, winning three of the five sub-featured events.
In Grand Circuit action, M Ms Dream captured the $131,944 Miss Versatility Final (Grade 3), presented by Allerage Farms, for trotting fillies and mares with Yannick Gingras aboard for the Burke barn. The Swan For All-Trading Places mare grabbed the early lead, controlled the fractions, and held off the late challenge from Call Me Goo (Tim Tetrick) by a half-length, with and Bravo Angel S (Jason Bartlett) third. The winner returned $7.
The winning six-year-old mare is owned by Hillside Stables and Frank Baldachino. M Ms Dream has amassed $2,280,474 during her 64-race career and won 35 times.
Prior to their win with Louprint, Burke and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. teamed up to win the $143,750 Old Oaken Bucket (Grade 3) for three-year-old trotting males with Cheers Hanover. The son of Bar Hopping-Chez Lucie wore down the pacesetting Whiskey Wow (David Miller) and held off a rally by Lefties Righties (Braxten Boyd) to prevail by a half-length in 1:54.4. Whiskey Wow finished third.
Cheers Hanover won for the ninth time in 27 career outings while raising his earnings to $351,644 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, James Simpson, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.
Burke's trainees were heads apart at the line, with Rick Wink edging out Swingtown to take the $161,722 Ohio Breeders Championship for three-year-old colt-and-gelding pacers. Rick Wink, after initially dropping in third, worked to the top past the quarter for Chris Page and led all the way from there. Swingtown (Wrenn) popped the pocket entering the final turn and attempted to close in on his stablemate, but Rick Wink held him off by a head for the 1:50.4 victory. Downbythewater (Dunn) completed the ticket.
The winning son of Bit Of A Legend N-Mcgrin N Mcbare It has won 13 of 20 lifetime starts and has earned $810,585 lifetime. He is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, RAS Racing LLC, Knox Services Inc., and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.
Burke also won a $27,778 division of the Buckeye Stallion Series for three-year-old pacing males with Moons Up. Combining his undercard and Jug elimination and final victories, Burke tallied six wins on the 20-race program.
In the $161,306 Ohio Breeders Championship for sophomore pacing fillies, Greg Luther Racing LLC’s Prolific Fire overcame the second-tier starting position and crushed her eight opponents by 10 lengths in a stakes-record 1:51. She was away third for Austin Hanners through :27.1 and :55.3 first-half fractions, took the front past the half-mile station and led to three-quarters in 1:23.2, and she cruised home ahead of The Word Is Out (Page) in second, followed by Anna Loves Bananas (Aaron Merriman).
Prolific Fire, a daughter of Catch The Fire-Alexas Jewel, pushed her career earnings to $366,932. Todd Luther trains the filly, now a four-time winner in 22 career outings.
Divine Thing (Todd McCarthy) found enough daylight in the stretch to sprint past pacesetter Country Victory (David Miller) and win the $113,056 Buckette (Grade 3) for sophomore trotting fillies in 1:53.2. Country Victory, beaten 1-1/4 lengths, finished second, followed by Santa Cristina (Scott Zeron).
Divine Thing has won three straight races for the ownership group of Jay Mossbarger, Brent Hopper, and Kyle Gray. Steve Carter trains the Greenshoe-A Thing Goin On filly, who is now eight-for-24 lifetime with $558,494 in earnings.
There were eight $27,778 divisions of the fifth leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for sophomore pacers, with five groups of colts and geldings and three of fillies.
Fly High Cruiser (Dan Noble) recorded a wire-to-wire victory in the fourth split for males, winning by four lengths in 1:53.1. The son of Yankee Cruiser-Letme Fly Low tallied his third win in the series this year for trainer Anette Lorentzon, who co-owns the gelding with Tony Hall.
Lorentzon stablemate Cruising Zone (Page) won the first division in wire-to-wire fashion, crossing the line in 1:53. The Yankee Cruiser-Smart Zone gelding won by 2-3/4 lengths for Lorentzon, who owns and bred him.
“I live here in Delaware, and it’s sweet winning in front of all your buddies,” Page said in a post-race interview. “I can’t take all the credit. Obviously, I’m driving some very good horses, and I’m getting them in some decent spots, and the trainers are getting me home.”
The aforementioned Moons Up took the third colt-and-gelding division in 1:52, which was the fastest mile among the five groups of males. The Lather Up-Walk Two Moons gelding was a 1-3/4-length winner for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Unique Catch (Kurt Sugg) won the second colt division by a nose in 1:52.4 for trainer Daren Harvey. The Catch The Fire-Unique Legacy gelding is owned by Wayne Mast Jr., Eden Acres Farmstead LLC, Steven Miller, and Harvey.
Bars And Notes (Tyler Smith) took the fifth division, tripping the beam in 1:52.1. The son of Racing Hill-Pure Note went all the way to score by two lengths for trainer Joseph Lucas, who co-owns the gelding with At The Wire Farms.
The Edward Miller-trained Queen Of Fear (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) recorded the fastest time of the three filly divisions, taking the first split by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:52.3, matching her lifetime best. The Fear The Dragon-Knockout Queen filly led wire-to-wire to prevail for owner-breeders Miller and Ashley Dunn.
Judge Me Again (Trevor Smith) won the third distaff division in 1:55.2. The Western Village-Naked At The Beach filly was three-quarters of a length the best for conditioner Chris Beaver, who co-owns her with Jim Burnett, Leo Fleming, and Tim Homan.
Racin Like A Star (David Miller) went all the way in the second division in 1:54.3, winning by three-quarters of a length in her third straight win. The Ryan Holton-trained daughter of Racing Hill-Joes Miss Daisy is owned by Jeff Fought Racing, Adam Friedland, SCP Stable Inc., and Hunter Holton.
The five legs of the Buckeye Stallion Series for all eight divisions have been completed. The Finals are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, at MGM Northfield Park.
Fear The Dragon geldings Whatchagonnado and Fearless Delight took two of the four divisions of the Ohio Fair Racing Conference for three-year-old colt pacers. Whatchagonnado was piloted to a 1:53 second-division victory by Cameron McCown for trainer Ron Potter, while the Bret Schwartz-trained Fearless Delight took the fourth split in 1:55.2 with Luke Hanners in the bike. Southern Rockfest won the first division in 1:54.1 with Austin Hanners at the controls for Schwartz, and Page drove Catch The Express to victory in the third group in 1:53.3 for trainer Cory Deyermand.
(With files from the Little Brown Jug & Ohio Harness Horseman's Association; photo of M Ms Dream winning on Sept. 18)