Sophomore pacing colts are set to slug it out in a pair of $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) on Saturday night, July 31 at Northfield Park. This is the third leg of the four-round series for three-year-olds, and all of four previous winners of either leg one or two will face off in these events.
Don Tiger’s Charlie May, a winner of $523,127 lifetime, returns to OHSS action after plying his wares on the East Coast. The brown gelded son of McArdle captured the $700,000 Meadowlands Pace on July 17 only to be disqualified when the judges determined he interfered with his rivals. Charlie May, a homebred, has nine wins and six seconds in 18 starts lifetime and two wins this year in nine starts, with $194,500 in seasonal earnings. One of those victories came in the June 19 OHSS contested at Scioto Downs, where he paced to a winning 1:49.3 in the second leg of this series (he had finished fourth in leg one).
Charlie May is the seventh- and highest-earning foal out of his Western Hanover dam, the unraced Stipple Hanover, and is a half-brother to Velocity Stifler (by Arts Chip) (p, 5, 1:50.3f [$219,333]), and to the two-year-old pacing colt and OHSS contender Shane Falco (by Racing Hill) (p, 2, 1:56.1h [$21,710]), who is also owned and bred by Tiger. Charlie May will start from post 8 in the second OHSS division (Race 12) for driver Brett Miller and trainer Steve Carter.
Leg-one winner Four-Star Flash competes in this same division (Race 12) as Charlie May, leaving from the six-hole for driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., and trainer Brian Brown. This venerable youngster by Western Vintage captured OHSS leg one in 1:52 for owners Hutchison Harness, David Wozniak, D. Van Dusen and Acadia Farms, and finished fifth in the second OSS leg to Rock N Republic.
Bred by Marion Beachy, Four-Star Flash has career earnings of $102,260, with eight wins, a second and two thirds in 17 outings. He is the second and most prolific of four foals out of the Bettors Delight mare Keladi Blue Chip (p, 3, 1:56.3f [$18,512]).
Heart Of Chewbacca, who grabbed his first OHSS contest in a swift 1:51.2, finished second in leg two and currently sits atop the OHSS standings in the three-year-old pacing colt division. The black son of Bring On The Beach is conditioned by Ron Burke for Dennis R. Owens and Norman Rae Racing and will have regular driver Danny Noble in the sulky, leaving from post seven in the first division (Race 9). A winner of $288,848 lifetime, Heart Of Chewbacca was bred by Spring Haven Farm and has nine wins and four seconds in 15 starts. He is the second and only foal to race thus far out of his dam, the Four Starzzz Shark mare JTs Chewbacca (p, 3, 1:53.1f [$32,220]).
Rock N Republic sped to a 1:51.3 clocking in progress to capturing his leg-two contest on June 19 at Scioto Downs. Trained by Robert Taylor for owner Dossie L. Minor, this brown Pet Rock gelding did not start in Leg 1 of this series. From 18 starts he has scored ten wins, a second and two thirds with $69,147 in career earnings. Bred by L&J Racing, Rock N Republic is the third foal out of the Dragon Again mare My Julianas Girl (p, 4, 1:52.3f [$121,560]) and is a half-brother to Juliana The Baron (by Art Major) (p, 3, 1:55.4f [$25,480]). He leaves from post 2 with Aaron Merriman at the controls in the first division (Race 9).
(Ohio Sires Stakes)