Jason McGinnis celebrated his 1,000th career training win on the Jugette undercard on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Delaware Country Fair when two-year-old trotter Irresistible Son ($4) won a $20,000 division of the Buckeye Stallion Series.
Driver Anthony MacDonald sent the Triumphant Caviar-Beautiful gelding down the road, setting fractions of :28.1, :58.1 and 1:28.1 en route to a career-best victory in 1:57 victory as the even-money bettors' choice. Wavethefreddiebird (Chris Lems), at long odds of 49-1, nosed out even-money Tom Swifty (Dan Noble) in the race for place, 4-1/2 lengths behind the winner.
Irresistible Son has earned all three of his career wins in the Buckeye Stallion Series and has banked $45,470 through eight starts for owners Thestable Irresistibleson of Guelph, Ont. and Ohio-based Hutchison Harness.
McGinnis, who posted a career-high 99 wins in 2001, has won 61 races so far this year. Coming off back-to-back million-dollar campaigns, he has trained winners of more than $9.2 million throughout his career.
Buckette to Helpoftheseason
Indiana invader Helpoftheseason took advantage of a late break in stride by Bella Macchiato (Dexter Dunn) to take the $88,000 Buckette for sophomore trotting fillies in 1:54.2 on the Jugette Day undercard.
Pride N Joy (Todd McCarthy) finished 2-1/2 lengths back in second. Stella Rose (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) crossed the finish line in third but was disqualified and placed sixth for interference. Bravo Angel S (Andrew McCarthy) was elevated to third.
Helpoftheseason is co-owned by John Schmucker, Wrenn Racing and Running Wild Stables. She is trained by Melanie Wrenn. With the win, she has been first or second in eight of 10 starts in 2023.
Sweet victory for Sugar Instead in Ohio Breeders Championship
Sugar Instead continued her dominance in the state of Ohio for the two-year-old filly division.
The Volstead filly overcame the outside post seven in her $65,600 Ohio Breeders Championship division and was sitting third at the quarter and half-mile stations in :27.3 and :56.3. Driver Ronnie Gillespie tipped Sugar Instead off the rail at the three-quarter pole in 1:26.1 and cruised home in :29.4 to score the 6-1/4-length win in 1:56. My Rory (Tony Hall) was second and Westfiftyfive (Dexter Dunn) was third.
Virgil Morgan Jr. conditions the winner for co-owners Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. The win was her seventh in nine seasonal starts and pushed her earnings to $363,925.
In the second $65,600 division, Roxanna (Aaron Merriman) held off Chulita (Tyler Smith) and Shes Spicy (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) in 1:57.
Chris Beaver trains and co-owns Roxanna with Sandra Burnett. The What The Hill filly was unraced at two, but has made $200,500 this season.
Refined takes Ohio Breeders Championship Aged Trot
Refined (Tyler Smith) took the $34,400 Ohio Breeders Championship for aged trotters, beating the boys in 1:54.1.
Caviar Gold (Aaron Merriman) rallied within a neck for second and Rose Run Valor (Kayne Kauffman) was third.
Refined is owned by the partnership of Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. Virgil Morgan Jr. trains the seven-year-old Uncle Peter mare. Her career earnings went over the $1 million mark with the victory.
Cantabs Joy trots to Standardbred Stakes victory
Thanks to a patient drive by Brett Miller, Cantabs Joy took the $40,000 Standardbred Stakes for two-year-old filly trotters in 2:00.1.
Cantabs Joy was 2-1/2 lengths ahead of Fiya (Tyler Smith) and Heavenly Heart (Dexter Dunn).
The winner is owned by Greg Luther Racing and trained by Todd Luther for her third career win in nine seasonal starts.
A Few Choice Words takes new mark in Standardbred Stakes
A Few Choice Words (Yannick Gingras) went gate-to-wire to take the $40,000 Standardbred for two-year-old filly pacers over Track N Field (Chris Page) and Fresh Legs (Tim Tetrick) by 2-1/2 lengths.
The Courtly Choice filly is trained by Blake MacIntosh for the Clancy Farms. She has won four of her nine 2023 starts and earned $75,222.
The final time of 1:54.3 was a new lifetime mark for the filly.
(With files from Little Brown Jug)