The richest night in Ohio horse racing will commence when eight $250,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Championships are contested on Saturday evening (September 2) at Scioto Downs.
Divisional crowns for two and three-year-old trotters and pacers of both genders at the five-eighths mile oval are the next-to-last piece of the 2017 Ohio Sires Stakes competition pie. Eight, $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes consolations will be featured at Northfield Park on Saturday, October 14.
Ohio-breds were made eligible to the four-part series — which featured $40,000 purses per divisional leg — divided by age, gait and gender, by their owners with a March 15 payment.
In 2017, the Ohio Standardbred Development Fund (OSDF) received 1,148 nominations of two and three-year-old foals sired by Ohio-registered pacing and trotting stallions. The most lucrative of any series for Ohio-bred Standardbreds, the Ohio Sires Stakes saw a 6 per cent gain in nominations from 2016 (1,091 nominees) and a 49 per cent increase of 2015 nominations (774). This season’s figures are more than double 2014 nominations (457) and nearly triple 2013 figures (387).
Horses in the series are awarded points based on where they finish in each of the legs and accumulated points are then totaled after the fourth leg, and Championships eligible-youngsters are posted on the Ohio State Racing Commission website (racingohio.net).
Five undefeated youngsters in sires stakes events are eligible to their respective championships, including four-for-four winner Seeing Eye Single, a two-year-old pacing colt conditioned by Ron Burke for Burke Racing, Karr, Libby, Purnel, Silva and Weaver Bruscemi. The son of Dragon Again, out of the Western Ideal mare Shabalabadingdong has swept the four-leg sires stakes series with winning times of 1:53.1; 1:53.4, 1:53 and 1:53.4 and $80,000 in career earnings for his connections.
Prsntpretynperfect, a daughter of Big Bad John out of the Towners Big Guy mare Wildfire Princess, swept the two-year-old pacing filly ranks and also captured a $47,000 Ohio Fair Stake in late July. The five-for-five winner of $103,500 in her career is trained by Brian Brown and is owned by Jennifer Brown, Richard Lombardo and Josh Green.
Looking For Zelda captured all four legs of the freshman trotting filly divisions for trainer Norm Parker and owner-breeder Robert Key of Leechburg, PA. The Break The Bank K lass sports a winning mark of 1:56.4 en route to earnings of $101,000. In addition to her four sires stakes victories, Looking For Zelda notched a $42,000 Ohio Fair Stake on July 27 at Scioto Downs.
Sultan Of Cash is undefeated in six career starts in the freshman trotting ranks, including three in sires stakes competition — having won legs one, two, and three. Owned and trained by Roger Hughes Jr., the son of Cash Hall-Anything But Love-Conway Hall has $85,515 in career earnings, having also won an $83,400 Ohio Fair Stake, plus a pair of Ohio County Fair events earlier in the season.
Pistol Packin Mama was also undefeated in her trio of sires stakes starts (legs one, two and three) in the sophomore pacing filly division for the Herres Stables of Bellbrook, Ohio. Trained by Tyler George, the daughter by The Panderosa has notched $60,000 in earnings from sires stakes contests and sports a career bankroll of $107,750.
Master pacing conditioner Brian Brown has nine top youngsters eligible to sires stakes championships, including: McThriller, Lightning Onmyfeet, McRaven and Barnabas — in the three-year-old pacing colts division; Bye Bye Felicia in the three-year-old pacing filly ranks; Prsntpretynperfect and Shadows On Time — two-year-old filly pacers; and Rock On Creek and Slick Mick in the two-year-old pacing colts division.
Ohio’s trotting guru, Chris Beaver, has eight trainees who are tops in their divisions, including: Fraser Ridge, Always A Good Time and Buckeye Boss — three-year-old colt trotters; Gabbysloosechange, Chim Swift and Bamaslastchance — three-year-old filly trotters; and Red Storm and Sesame — two-year-old filly trotters.
Another trotting master, Marty Wollam, has four trotting championship eligibles: Count On Cody and Joggingtothebank in the two-year-old colt trot division; Purple Sona in the three-year-old filly trot division; and Lord Of The Reigns in the three-year-old colt trotting ranks.
North America’s leading trainer, Ron Burke, has four possible championship starters, including: the aforementioned Seeing Eye Single — two-year-old colt pacer; Dashany — two-year-old filly trotter; and Rosas Touch and Rosemary Rose — two-year-old filly pacers.
(OSDF)