A quartet of $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for freshman pacing colts and fillies will be contested on Monday night at Northfield Park, and will determine the starting fields for Super Night, scheduled for Sept. 5 at Scioto Downs.
A total of 14 pacing fillies are set to vie, along with 13 pacing colts in these OSS contests. Ohio-registered stallions represented include six by Well Said, four by Racing Hill and two each by Domethatagain, Mcardle, Nob Hill High, The Panderosa and Western Vintage. Stallions represented by one foal each include Arthur Blue Chip, Art Official, Bring On The Beach, Manhardt, Rockin Amadeus and Yankee Cruiser.
The first OSS pacing filly division (Race 1) is the most competitive, with four previous OSS winners set to battle, including the multiple leg-winning Summer Touch, who captured Leg Two in 1:54.2 and Leg Three in 1:51.4. She will be joined by Leg One winner Lady Arthur (1:53.2), Leg One winner Leave Her Wild (1:55.1) and Leg Two winner Rainy Day Chic (1:54.1).
The second OSS pacing filly division (Race 5) pits Leg One winner Winella Hanover (1:54.4) against Sentimental, who captured Leg One in 1:56.1 and Leg Two in 1:53.2.
The first OSS division for pacing colts appears to be a wide-open event with no returning OSS winners. Barnard Hanover, a Ronnie Burke-trainee, will be the likely favourite via his 2nd and 3rd place finishes in previous OSS contests.
The second pacing colt divisions sees a trio of previous leg winners in Hardt At Work, a Leg One winner in 1:55.1 and Leg Three winner in 1:52.2. In addition, Heart Of Chewbacca, impressive in his only OSS start captured Leg Three in 1:51.1, while Charlie May captured Leg One in 1:54.2 and Leg Two in 1:53.
It appears that Ronnie Burke will have the favourite in each of these four divisions and have additional starters in each race too. Summer Touch is the likely favourite in the first filly event, with stablemate Free Thinker joining her in her quest for first place money. In the second filly division Burke harnesses likely favourite Winella Hanover along with stablemate Pinknperfect.
Burke will also tighten the girth on Barnard Hanover in the first colt division, as well as likely favourite Heart Of Chewbacca and stablemate Hill Yeah in the second.
(OSDF)