Freshmen to kick off Ohio Fairs Champs

Grove City, Ohio – The Ohio Fairs Championships will wrap up stakes season for the Buckeye State on Saturday (Oct. 19). MGM Northfield Park will host harness racing eight divisions of freshman and sophomore trotters and pacers. Each championship will carry a purse of $50,000.

Jailhouse Pearl (Long Tom) is the 3-2 favorite for filly trotters. The filly has never missed the board. With nine victories and five second-place finishes, Jailhouse Pearl has earned $38,377 under Eric Nesselroad’s conditioning. Chris Lems will guide the filly from the sixth post position.

Owner-trainer-driver Emanuel Miller will handle Speed Of An Angel (Marseille), the 5-2 second choice in the morning line. The filly has hit the board in nine of 13 seasonal starts. She has bankrolled $17,394 and taken a mark in 2:00.

Two heavyweights will headline the filly pace championship. Trainer Rosy Weaver will send even-money favorite Pink Jammies (Fear The Dragon) from the rail. The filly is coming off a second-place finish in the $75,000 Buckeye Stallion Series Championship. She has won half of her 18 seasonal starts and hit the board with seven additional second-place finishes. Pink Jammies has earned $81,880. Hunter Myers is slated to drive.

Maddie’s Delite (Lather Up) is the 7-5 second choice. With $81,249 in the bank, the filly has won 13 of 17 this season. Maddie’s Delite boasts the fastest lifetime mark of the field in 1:53.4. Austin Hanners will drive for trainer Steve Carter.

Another even-money favorite, Hydroplane’n Henry (Marseille) will leave from the rail in the championship for colt trotters. The gelding last raced and scored in a lifetime mark of 1:58.4 at the Delaware County Fair in mid-September. Hydroplane’n Henry has banked $21,306 this year. Greg Bateson will be in the sulky for trainer Brian Boring.

Amazing Tom (Long Tom), the 9-5 second choice, is also coming off a victory. The colt lowered his mark to 1:58.1 at Dayton Raceway in the fair stakes. Amazing Tom has scored ten wins in 16 tries this season, earning $44,097. Dan Krebehenne trains while Ronnie Gillespie is slated to drive.

At 2-1 on the morning line, Downbytheparade (Downbytheseaside) will try to capture the colt pace championship. Downbytheparade has hit the board in 28 of 31 starts. With 17 victories on his resume, the Betty Clegg trainee has earned $111,671. Aaron Merriman will guide the gelding.

Leaving beside the favorite from the sixth post position is 7-2 second choice Unique Catch (Catch The Fire). He will look for his ninth win of the season. He has banked $26,331 in 11 starts and claims a mark of 1:54.4. Daren Harvey trains and drives Unique Catch.

Three-year-old filly and colt pacers and trotters will close the curtain on the 2024 stakes season in the Buckeye State as MGM Northfield Park hosts eight $50,000 divisions of the Ohio Fairs Championships on Saturday night (Oct. 19).

Sophomores will wrap up the evening in style. Two starters, colt pacer Dance In Style (Dancin Yankee) and filly trotter Desert Hayz (Uncle Peter), have the chance to repeat as Ohio Fairs Champions.

Dance In Style is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line for colt pacers. The Steve Novak trainee will look for his tenth win this year. He has earned $46,629 in 20 seasonal starts. Marc St. Louis Jr. will leave from the fourth post position with the gelding.

Drinkinmybabygdby (Big Bad John) is the 9-5 favorite. The gelding was a winner in his last fair stake at Dayton Raceway in a lifetime mark of 1:53. He has earned $47,963 with nine wins in 17 starts this year. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. will be in the bike for trainer Daniel Hale.

It will be a battle amongst filly trotters. Desert Hayz, last year’s champion, is 25-1. She has bankrolled $37,370 in ten seasonal victories. Billy Davis Jr. is slated to drive the filly for trainer Greg Bateson.

Home Run Queen (Full Count) is the 3-2 favorite. The black filly is coming off a win in the $25,000 Buckeye Stallion Series Consolation. Home Run Queen has hit the board 19 of 23 seasonal tries and earned $68,752 under trainer Wes Hershberger. Daren Harvey will guide.

All About Faith (What The Hill) and Flip Five Stones are the 5-2 co-second choices in the morning line.

All About Faith drew the second post position. The filly has scored 10 wins, including her last start out at the Fairfield County Fair. She has bankrolled $52,584 in 29 seasonal starts. Jason Beattie will drive for trainer Tyler Tinch.

Although leaving from the seventh post position, Flip Five Stones (Lane Of Stone) should not be overlooked. With $44,842 in the bank, the brown filly has hit the board 16 times this year. Jeff Nisonger will drive for trainer Mark Winters.

In the filly pace championship, Lady Bridgerton (Bit Of A Legend N) is the 9-5 favorite. The filly has notched nine victories and earned $53,089 in 21 seasonal starts. Lady Bridgerton lowered her lifetime mark earlier this year to 1:52.4. Wrenn will guide Lady Bridgerton from the third post position for trainer Brian Georges.

The 2-1 second choice, Cruiser Cancelled (Yankee Cruiser) will leave directly outside the favorite. Trained by Ryan Deaton, Cruiser Cancelled will look for her tenth seasonal win. She has earned $40,104 in 30 starts this year. Elliott Deaton will handle the filly.

Driver-trainer Hank LeVan will try to capture the championship title with Jogging Bankshot (Break The Bank K) in colt trot division. Leaving from the third post, Jogging Bankshot is the 2-1 favorite. The gelding has earned $43,423 in 17 board hits this season. He is coming off a victory in his last start out at the Fairfield County Fair.

As the 7-2 second choice, A Line Of Stone (Lane Of Stone) will look for this fourth win in a row. He has notched 13 wins in 21 starts this year, earning $41,247. The Nisonger-Winters duo will team back up to send A Line Of Stone from the outside seventh post position.

The Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association (OHHA) will livestream the Ohio Fairs Championships from Northfield Park as part of Saturday Night at the Races. Saturday Night at the Races is presented by The Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center and sponsored by Dublin Valley Farms, Big Dee’s Tack and Vet Supply, Midland Acres, The Stable.ca, and Cool Winds Farm.  Coverage of the eight finals will begin at 6:10 PM on the OHHA Facebook page, YouTube channel, and HarnessRacingOhio.com.

First race post time at MGM Northfield Park is 6:00PM.

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Ashley Dailey, for the OHHA