Strong undercard Wednesday at Delaware

The undercard on Jugette Day featured a number of stakes races for Ohio-bred harness racing trotters and pacers.

Sweet victory for Sugar Instead in $131,200 (div.) OBC 2FT

Sugar Instead (Volstead) continued her dominance in the state of Ohio for the two-year-old filly division.

The filly overcame the outside post #7 and was sitting third at the quarter and half mile stations in :27.3 and :56.3.

Driver Ronnie Gillespie tipped Sugar Instead off the rail at the three-quarter pole in 1:26.1 and cruised home in :29.4 to score the 6 ¼ length win in :1:56. My Rory (Tony Hall) was second and Westfiftyfive (Dexter Dunn) was third.

Virgil Morgan, Jr. conditions the winner for co-owners Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. The win was her seventh in nine seasonal starts and pushed her earnings to $363,925.

SUGAR INSTEAD REPLAY

The second $65,600 division, Roxanna (What The Hill, Aaron Merriman) held off Chulita (Tyler Smith) and She’s Spicy (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.) in 1:57.

Chris Beaver trains and co-owns Roxanna with Sandra Burnett. The filly was unraced at two but has made $200,500 this season.

ROXANNA REPLAY

Refined Takes OBC Aged Trot

Refined (Uncle Peter, Tyler Smith) took the $34,400 Ohio Breeders Championship for aged trotters beating the boys in 1:54.1.

Caviar Gold (Aaron Merriman) rallied within a neck for second and Rose Run Valor (Kayne Kauffman) was third.

REFINED REPLAY

Refined is owned by the partnership of Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. Virgil Morgan, Jr. trains the seven-year-old mare. Her career earnings are approaching the $1 million mark.

Standardbred (Two-Year-Old Filly Trot)

Thanks to a patient drive by Brett Miller, Cantab’s Joy (Cantab Hall) took the $40,000 Standardbred for two-year-old filly trotters in 2:00.1.

Cantab‘s Joy was 2 ½ lengths ahead of Fiya (Tyler Smith) and Heavenly Heart (Dexter Dunn).

CANTAB’S JOY REPLAY

The winner is owned by Greg Luther Racing and trained by Todd Luther.

It was her third career win in nine seasonal starts

Standardbred (Two-Year-Old Filly Pace)

A Few Choice Words (Courtly Choice, Yannick Gingras) went gate-to-wire to take the $40,000 Standardbred for two-year-old filly pacers over Track’n Field (Chris Page) and Fresh Legs (Tim Tetrick) by 2 ½ lengths.

The filly is trained by Blake MacIntosh for the Clancy Farms. She has won four of her nine 2023 starts and earned $73,222.

A FEW CHOICE WORDS REPLAY

The final time of 1:54.3 was a new lifetime mark.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting Results

by Jay Wolf, for the Little Brown Jug