A trio of $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for freshman pacing colts highlighted the 16-race card at Northfield Park on a comfortable Saturday evening.
Big Bretta, who finished third but was disqualified and placed fifth in sires stakes leg one at Scioto Downs on July 4, redeemed himself with a 1:54 victorious clocking in this second leg. Steered by Chris Lems for trainer Bret Schwartz, the son of Big Bad John rocked to an easy front-end triumph, pacing through panels of :28, :56 and 1:25 before posting a modest :29 final quarter brush.
Owned by Hired Gun Racing Stables, B.R. Larnick and A.M. Jacobs, 6-1 Big Bretta finished a nose ahead of 7-1 Can Be Perfect (Kurt Sugg) while 12-1 Fifty Flat (Jeff Nisonger) got up for third. Big Bretta now has $23,563 in career earnings from his two wins in three lifetime starts.
As the 16th of 17 foals out of the Towners Big Guy mare CC Biggirl Bretta, Big Bretta is a full brother to Big Bad Bretta p, 4, 1:52.4h ($76,005) and a half-sibling to Psilvuheartbreaker (by Nobleland Sam) p, 5, 1:49.3f ($1,566,664); CC Make A Buck (by Nobleland Sam) p, 3, 1:53.f ($217,901); CC Big Boy Sam (by Nobleland Sam) p, 8, 1:51.3 ($247,886) and CCs Desire (by Real Desire) p, 6, 1:51.1f ($159,753), etc.
Trainer Ronnie Burke harnessed sires stakes leg one victor Elver Hanover to his second consecutive career triumph as the Yankee Cruiser gelding cruised to a wire-to-wire 1:53.3 clocking with Chris Page at the controls. Owned by Burke Racing, Bridgette Jablonsky and J&T Silva-Purnel&Libby, Elver Hanover had scored that Scioto Downs career debut on July 4 in 1:53.4.
Sent off at 3-5 odds, Elver Hanover finished 3-1/4 lengths in front of 7-5 second place finisher Mr Ds Rock (Aaron Merriman), with 30-1 Rockntheafterparty (Kyle Ater) third. The impressive side-wheeling youngster now has $40,000 in his coffers.
Elver Hanover is the eighth of nine foals out of The Panderosa mare Edra Hanover p, 2, 1:51 ($171,753) and is a half-brother to: Eddard Hanover (by Dragon Again) p, 5, 1:49.3s ($521,397); East Side Hanover (by Somebeachsomewhere) p, 3, 1:51 ($62,801); Scirocco Sarah (by Somebeachsomewhere) p, 3, 1:54.2f ($35,603); Jagger Rocks (by Rockin Image) p, 3, 1:54f ($43,737); Everyone Hanover (by Sportswriter) p, 3, 1:54.4f ($35,179); and Cool Vicious (by Dragon Again) p, 3, 1:55.2s ($27,099), etc.
In perhaps the most exciting sires stakes division of the evening, Gray Dragon battled hard and fought off multiple challenges by his rivals to hold on for driver Ryan Stahl at 30-1 odds, returning $63.20 on a two dollar ticket. The son of Dragon Again tripped the timer in a modest 1:55, staving off 5-1 Rock Smart (Aaron Merriman) by a half-length margin, with 99-1 One Rock (Greg Grismore) nabbing third-place money.
Virgil Morgan, Jr., trains Gray Dragon, who was fourth in sires stakes leg one to the winning Rock Smart. He now boasts a bankroll of $23,200 for owner/breeder Emerald Highlands Farm of Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Gray Dragon is the fourth of five foals out of the Rocknroll Hanover mare Rock For Glory p, 3, 1:52.2s ($137,598), making him a half-brother to Glorious Intent (by No Pan Intended) p, 3, 1:53.1s ($77,595) and Glorious Delight (by Bettors Delight) p, 3, 1:54f ($61,232).
(OSDA)