Maryland Sire Stakes held at Ocean Downs

Ocean City, MD – A light rain before the races and a beautiful double rainbow greeted the Ocean Downs fans on Sunday June 24th.

The Maryland Sire Stakes preliminaries for three year olds opened the program with the first division for filly pacers. HS Shauna (Up Front Charlie) with Art Stafford Jr. in the bike held off the pocket sitting Cool Toy (Cool Flying Fun) in the 1:55.1 mile. Joseph Carroll trains for owner – breeder Cary Grady.

In race 2 for three year old trotting colts and geldings reinsman Russell Foster was content to put Chucky De Vie (Charlie De Vie) in the pocket behind rival What That Is (Cam's Rocket). When the stretch duel was over Chucky De Vie pulled away by 1 ½ lengths, stopping the clock in 1:59.1 for owner – breeder Joie De Vie Farm LLC and trainer Hermann Heitmann.

Driver Victor Kirby pulled Miss Choptank (Total Truth) going up the backside to challenge Princess Rusty (Rusty's For Real) all the way to the wire with Miss Choptank getting the win for Legacy Racing of DE, Inc. and Stephen Townsend and trainer Wayne Givens. The breeder is Olive Branch Farm. Time for the mile was 1:56.

The pacing colts and geldings and trotting fillies will contest their first round of preliminaries on Monday June 25th starting at 7:05 pm.

by Cheri Stambaugh, for the Maryland Sire Stakes