A quartet of $85,000 Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) Championships for state-bred veteran pacers and trotters were held on Saturday night (Sept. 4) at Scioto Downs.
Penpaperpaige got the night off to a speedy start with a victory in the OHSS Veteran Mares Pace Championship, stopping the clock in 1:50.4 for driver Tyler Smith. The daughter of Pet Rock-Park Lane Paige-Art Major is trained by Tyler’s father Jeff and used a grinding, first-over journey as the 1-5 favourite to notch her 15th victory. Shirley LeVin of Barrington Hills, Ill. owns and bred the four-year-old mare.
“She’s everything to us; my dad [trainer Jeff Smith] has kept her sharp and this year she’s just done nothing wrong,” the younger Smith said in the Scioto winner’s circle. “I don’t think she’s stake to much but will just race pretty much in the opens.”
Penpaperpaige upped her career earnings to $423,252 with the win, which saw her best the late closing 60-1 longshot Stay Gold, with 6-1 Up Front Flor Ida third. The winner is the third foal of five out of the broodmare Park Lane Paige (p, 2, 1:54f [$113,810]), making her a full sister to Parklane Cupid (p, 4, 1:56.4f [$29,356]).
Mission Accepted easily bested his rivals with a front-stepping 1:52 performance with Chris Page driving for trainer Ron Burke in the OHSS Veteran Horse Trot Championship. The six-year-old son of Manofmanymissions grabbed his 13th win in his 84th start and added the winner’s share of $42,500 to his already hefty bankroll of $1,054,007.
“I felt he was up to this performance as he’s just a fabulous horse and will be a good stallion,” said co-owner Dave Wills. “We’ll race him at Delaware and just play it by ear after that.”
Mission Accepted is co-owned by Burke Racing, breeder Knox Services, Wills and Weaver Bruscemi. The hard-trying Jailhouse Sam notched second-place honours at 7-2 odds, while 6-1 Pass The Vape was third for Trevor Smith.
Mission Accepted is the fifth foal out of the prolific broodmare Witty Girl (3, 1:58.2f [$32,602]) and is a full brother to Wittyville (3, 1:54.3f [$342,745]); with half-siblings in March Awareness (by Ken Warkentin) (7, 1:53f [$452,154]); Merry Ann (by Southwind Spirit) (2, 1:56h [$258,700]); and Wittys Winner (by Jailhouse Jesse) (5, 1:54.4s [$95,757]).
Weslynn Quest, the 4-5 favourite, held on to capture the OHSS Veteran Mares Trot Championship in a resounding 1:54.1 in a steady rainfall. Trained by Per Englom, the daughter of Manofmanymissions picked up win 15 from 53 starts for owners Buckstone Land Livestock and John Barnard.
“She was very strong tonight and I’m very happy with the way she raced,” said winning driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. “I’m very thankful to get to drive nice horses like this mare.”
Weslynn Quest now has $414,826 in career earnings after besting rival 31-1 Pure Chance and 15-1 Kikimora. She is the second of three foals out of the Windsongs Legacy mare Weslynn Legacy (4, 1:56.4s [$105,006]) and is a half-sister to Weslynn Dancer (by Deweycheatumnhowe) (6, 1:53.1f [$451,200]).
Heavy 1-5 favourite Ocean Rock dominated his rivals with a 1:51 clocking in the OHSS Veteran Pace Championship with driver Danny Noble at the lines. The four-year-old gelded son of Rockin Amadeus grabbed the winner’s share of the $85,000 purse and pushed his career earnings to a hefty $659,122 for longtime Ohio breeder-owner Sandra Burnett
“He’s been awesome since he’s come back home from racing out East,” said Noble. “The cheaper fractions early on in this race certainly helped his cause and he’ll be back at Scioto next week for the Ewart.”
Gold Digger King was second for driver Brett Miller as the 5-2 choice while Rose Run Ulysses, a 68-1 longshot, was third for Trevor Smith. Ocean Rock is the first foal out of the On The Attack mare Ocean Pearl (p, 5, 1:53.2f [$143,637]), and has a full brother in the gelding Ocean Blue (3, 1:52f [$43,240]).
(Ohio Sires Stakes)