$100K leg for sophomore colt pacers highlights OSS at Scioto

Grove City, OH – With some top harness racing rivals racing elsewhere, Fear The Hate (Fear The Dragon) will be looking to add to an already successful season on Saturday (July 26) as Eldorado Scioto Downs hosts the fourth leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes for sophomore colt pacers.

The fourth leg consists of one $100,000 division featuring a 10-horse field. Fear The Hate is the early 3-1 favorite and will leave from post five with Chris Page driving for trainer Ron Burke. The Fear The Dragon colt has hit the board in all seven starts this season with six victories and $114,050 in earnings. He posted wins in each of the first two legs of the OSS at MGM Northfield Park and is looking to rebound from a third-place finish in the third leg at Scioto. Page was in the sulky for all six of Fear The Hate’s wins this season and has been paired with him again for Saturday.

Fear The Hate took the first two legs of the OSS in 1:52.4 and 1:52.1, respectively, but speeds increased in the third leg as both divisions were won in under 1:50. His lifetime best of 1:50.3 came at Scioto on June 28, but he may need to top that to secure his third OSS victory of 2025.

Another Burke trainee, Harrisburg Heist (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), opened as the 9-2 second choice in Saturday’s race and will leave from post nine. The Downbytheseaside gelding has hit the board in seven of nine starts this year with five wins and was the runner-up in the first division of the third leg of the OSS.

The competitive field includes three other horses with at least one top-three finish in previous legs. Downbythewater (Chris Lems) will leave from the rail next to Z’s Said (Sam Widger) in post two. They were second and third, respectively, in the second division of the opening leg. Jon I Love Dat (Dan Noble), who finished third in each of the second and third legs, will leave from post six.

Notably absent from the fourth leg are Rick Wink, Swingtown, and Sippinonsearoc, all of whom will be racing in the $385,000 Grade 1 Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids on Saturday at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. Rick Wink was the only horse to be 3-for-3 in the OSS thus far. Swingtown won the first division and Sippinonsearoc was the runner-up in the second division of the third leg.

Scioto Downs is also hosting three $50,000 divisions in the second leg of the OSS for 2-year-old colt pacers on Saturday with all four first-leg winners entered.

The field in the second division includes a pair of opening-leg winners in 6-5 morning line favorite I’llbetyourboots (Page) and 5-2 second choice Swelce (Mike Wilder). Both horses have hit the board in all four of their starts this season. I’llbetyourboots has three wins and one third, while Swelce has two victories and two runner-up finishes.

First-leg winners Lindy Dragonwater (Page) and Gentleman’s Club (Noble) are the early favorites in the first and third divisions at 3-1 and 2-1, respectively.

Saturday’s Ohio Sires Stakes races at Scioto are part of a 16-race card that begins at 5:45 p.m.

This weekend’s OSS action at Scioto also includes two $65,000 divisions in the second leg for freshman filly pacers as part of a 16-race card on Friday (July 25) starting at 5:45 p.m.

First-leg winner Seaside Shuffle (Page) is the 6-5 morning line favorite in the first division and will leave from post three next to 2-1 second choice Deep Satin (Mike Micallef) in post two. Deep Satin was the runner-up to Seaside Shuffle in the second division of the opening leg.

Shacarri (Page) is the early 5-2 favorite in the second division and will leave from the far outside. She has one win in two starts this season, matching the track record for freshman filly pacers at Scioto in 1:51.1 on July 5. In post seven is 3-1 second choice She’safirewoman (Luke Hanners), who won the first division in the opening leg and has three victories and one runner-up finish in four seasonal starts. The field also includes Rodeo Dancer (Brett Miller), who was second to She’safirewoman in the first leg, as well as a pair of third-place finishers from the opening leg in Hold On Tight (Widger) and Vanna By The River (Austin Hanners).

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries

From Wes Mayberry for the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association