A trio of sophomore trotting fillies captured their respective Ohio Sire Stakes divisions Friday night, June 12 at Northfield Park. These harness racing contests–each sporting a purse of $40,000–are the second of a four leg series for Ohio-bred 3-year-old trotting lasses.
In the first division (Race One), favorite Dark Roast and driver Kurt Sugg scored an easy 1:57.3 triumph over rivals Soaring Flight (Greg Grismore) and Bettys Sam (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.) Conditioned by Marty Wollam, the daughter of Full Count picked up her second win of the year in four starts, pushing her career earnings to $93,603 for owners Arcadia Farms of Ohio and G And B Racing of Pennsylvania.
After a :29 opening panel, Dark Roast pulled first up behind the pace-setting Soaring Flight at the :59.2 half to take the lead. After trotting handily through a :28.4 third panel, she remained steady through a :29.2 final quarter to prevail by three-quarters of a length at the wire. Dark Roast, who was bred by Marvin Raber, won the first leg of this series on May 1 in 1:58 at Miami Valley.
Favorite Like Old Times used nearly the same tactics to garner her 1:57 victory in the second OSS division (Race Three). With Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. handling the driving duties for trainer Don McKirgan, the daughter by Chip Chip Hooray notched her fourth consecutive win and her fifth this season.
Like Old Times had finished second on May 1 in the first leg of this series to division one winner Dark Roast, and this latest triumph pushed her seasonal earnings to $47,000 and her career earnings to $111,105 for owner Keith Ross of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Sunrise Nibbles (Chris Page), second in the wagering, picked up place money, while mild longshot Expresso Jo (Dan Noble) grabbed show honors.
Lisa Jane and driver Ryan Stahl captured the third OSS division (Race Six) in a career best clocking of 1:55.4 as the public's choice. The daughter of Neely Dunn, who was harnessed to victory by conditioner Scot Cox for the Parent Racing Stable LLC of Holland, Ohio and G. Peters of Akron, Ohio, grabbed her second victory of 2015 in just her third start of the year in wire-to-wire fashion.
Bred by Ohio's Henry Burkholder, Lisa Jane finished two lengths ahead of rival Student Of Life (Kurt Sugg), while Honey B (Kyle Ater) was third. The victory, the sixth of her career, upped Lisa Jane's career bankroll to $139,329.
The fourth leg of this series for Ohio-bred trotting fillies will be held on Aug. 14 at Northfield and the fourth leg is set for Aug. 28 at Scioto Downs. The $225,000 championship events for all the 2- and 3-year-old divisions, divided by gender and gait, will be held on Sept. 12 during Scioto Downs' Super Night festivities.
By Kimberly Rinker, Administrator, Ohio Standardbred Development Fund
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