Professional handicapper has filly in Ohio Sire Stakes

Come Wednesday night (July 24) around 7:45 pm, don’t call or come a knocking on Garnet Barnsdale’s door as he may not answer. He will be glued to his computer watching his harness racing filly race.

Barnsdale, who hails from Toronto, Canada, is known throughout North America as one of the leading professional handicappers in the sport and an O’Brien Award winning journalist, has also ventured into the horse ownership side of the business and it looks like he bought into a winner.

On Wednesday night MGM Northfield Park is hosting three $50,000 divisions of the Ohio Sire Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies and Barnsdale’s Aunt Lilly (Uncle Peter) is a leading contender.

Barnsdale just owns a fractional piece of the filly, who races under Anthony MacDonald’s Thestable Aunt Lilly Group and Hutchison Harness, LLC.

“I bought into her in the fall of 2023 right after TheStable took her at the Ohio Select sale,” Barnsdale explained. “I liked that she was big and beautiful and that her 1/2 sister, Sierra Girl, won the PASS championship in 2023 and was beaten only 1 1/2 lengths in the Breeders Crown Final.”

So far, Aunt Lilly is already paying back dividends to her owners. She has already earned $86,000 this year in just three starts and was a $65,000 yearling purchase.

A winner in two of her three starts, Aunt Lilly and driver Anthony MacDonald were at their best in the $150,000 Next Generation at Scioto Downs, wiring the field by four and one-half lengths in 1:57.2.

It was a big score for Barnsdale, the biggest win of his career as an owner.

“I would call it nervous excitement although, I tell ya,” Barnsdale explained. “As the gate started up for the Next Generation, my heart was racing a bit and beating heavier than normal. I’d never had a starter in a race that big, let alone the favorite!”

AUNT LILLY REPLAY

In her last start, Aunt Lilly was the favorite again, this time in the $50,000 opening round of the Ohio Sire Stakes at Northfield Park. She led the field, was pressured on the lead and ended up a close third at the wire.

“She had a bout of sickness leading up to her last start which probably made her a bit short,” Barnsdale said. “She is over it so I expect a top effort, but the Burke filly Mocha Hill looks mighty tough. Fingers crossed.”

Aunt Lilly starts from post five for driver Anthony MacDonald and trainer Jason McGinnis. She is the 9/5 second choice in the race, going against the undefeated race favorite Mocha Hill (What The Hill) from post three for driver Chris Page and trainer Ron Burke.

Mocha Hill has two wins so far in her early career. She won a division of a pop-up series at The Meadows in 1:58 and last week won her $50,000 division of the Ohio Sire Stakes at Northfield Park by a neck in 1:58.4.

The first $50,000 OSS division is the 2^nd race and features Rose Run Allison (Long Tom) who enters the race and starts from the rail for trainer Ron Burke and driver Chris Page. In her last start in the OSS, she wired the field in a lifetime best 1:58.4.

The third $50,000 division Wednesday is the 6^th race where Brink Street (Long Tom), who defeated Aunt Lilly in her last start in 1:59.1, goes from post two for driver Chris Page and Burke Racing. Two starts back she took a lifetime mark of 1:58.4.

She faces return winner Pretty Lil Penny (Marseille), a 1:59.3 winner last week in the OSS. Pretty Lil Penny starts from post six for driver Chris Lems and trainer Scott Cox.

First race post time at Northfield Park Wednesday is 6:00 pm.

by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink