Volstead filly caps undefeated season in $300,000 final

Sugar Instead (Volstead), Rose Run Yolanda (Triumphant Caviar), Grand Revival (Creatine), and Tennessee Tom (Long Tom) were crowned as the best in the harness racing trotting divisions of the Ohio Sires Stakes in 2023 after winning their respective $300,000 Scarlet Championships on Saturday (Sept. 9) night at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

Sugar Instead and driver Ronnie Gillespie capped off an undefeated run through the sires stakes with a track record 1:55 victory in the final for 2-year-old fillies.

Sugar Instead was in the pocket at the 26.3 opening quarter but squeezed out between leader Possibility (Dan Noble) and a three-wide My Rory (Tony Hall) to take over the top spot past that marker. After she had control, Sugar Instead backed down the middle-half to 55.4 and 1:25.2 en route to winning by 4 3/4 lengths from Roxanna (Aaron Merriman) and Iam Independent (Chris Page).

“To be honest, I kind of went over the race, and the only horse that I knew had a shot was Chris Page’s horse. I didn’t know who was on the outside of me, and I thought it was Chris Page, so I came right back out,” Gillespie said about his strategy early in the mile. “I wanted to be on his back or him on my back. It means a lot. This is something that I had a vision of for many years, and it’s just coming to pass.”

A filly bred by Elmer Miller, Sugar Instead is trained by Virgil Morgan Jr. for owners Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. She has pocketed $331,125 to go with her six triumphs and two runner-up finishes in eight outings and paid $3.20 to win as the 3-5 favorite.

SUGAR INSTEAD REPLAY

Rose Run Yolanda with driver Brett Miller, who won the sires stakes final for rookie trotting fillies in 2022, defended her title this year, rallying off a second-over trip to a 1:53.3 win.

Swinging Senorita (Anthony MacDonald) cut fractions of 26.4, 56 and 1:24.4, but she was overtaken by a first-up Rose Run Yanae (Chris Page) past three-quarters, with Miller tipping out three-wide after tracking Rose Run Yanae’s cover. Rose Run Yolanda surged into the lead in the lane and would go on to defeat Rose Run Yanae by a length and a half, with Global Girl (Don Irvine Jr.) back in third.

“She’s actually going to be on the Grand Circuit after this race, so this was huge tonight. It’s so exciting to see what’s happened in Ohio with our breed and all of us celebrating such a huge night here tonight,” remarked winning owner Greg Luther. “I’ve been able to be involved on the breeding side – I own Catch The Fire – and getting some great racehorses here, it’s just been so much fun and very exciting.

“She’s got the pedigree, she’s got the heart, and our driver showed up. I told Brett I fired him five times in that race, but I re-hired him at the finish.”

Rose Run Yolanda is trained by Todd Luther and was bred by Rose Run Farm. Rose Run Yolanda has a record of 13-4-0 from 18 attempts, pushed her earnings to $640,864 and returned $2.40 to win as the 1-5 choice.

ROSE RUN YOLANDA REPLAY

Miller was right back in the winner’s circle after the final for 3-year-old colts and geldings as 24-1 Grand Revival prevailed from first-over in 1:53.1.

Positioned fourth at the 27.2 quarter and 56.2 half, Miller put Grand Revival in motion on the rim approaching that half-mile marker.Grand Revival quickly accelerated and moved up to join leader John Dutton (Chris Page) on the front-end at the 1:24.4 three-quarters, then wore that rival down around the final bend and into the lane to win by a length and a quarter.

Jet Hill (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) tracked the winner from second-over but had to settle for runner-up honors, and John Dutton came in third.

“The first time I drove this horse I moved to the front at the half, and I felt like maybe the horse didn’t like the front. His very next start, I put him on the front, and I said, ‘he definitely doesn’t like the front,’ so I said tonight we’ll just wait to make the front until the end,” Miller offered after the win.

GRAND REVIVAL REPLAY

Steve Carter trains Grand Revival, a gelding bred by Diamond Creek Farm, for owners Jeff Fought Racing, Brian Carsey and Adam Friedland. Grand Revival made his eighth appearance in the winner’s circle, has put away $251,007 and paid $50.60 to win.

The 2-year-old colts and geldings finished out the proceedings for the trotters, and Tennessee Tom (Page) won impressively in 1:55.1.

Tennessee Tom was fifth at the 28.3 quarter set by Royal Precedent (Wrenn Jr.) and continued to watch from that position as Spaaaanzano (Aaron Merriman) brushed to the top. Racing to the 57.1 half, Page fired Tennessee Tom off the pylons first-over, and he came with a quick burst that carried him around Spaaaanzano well before the 1:26.1 three-quarters. It was all Tennessee Tom from there as he downed Spaaaanzano by 3 3/4 lengths, with E-Pass (Trevor Smith) completing the trifecta.

“I thought personally, I’m not being arrogant or whatever, but I thought that was the only way I’d lose the race, if he ran,” Page quipped post-race. “I just kind of babysat in the first turn and then let him race from there.”

Tennessee Tom, by Long Tom and bred by Albert Miller, is conditioned by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Hatfield Stables and Knox Services Inc. He’s a five-time winner from eight trips behind the starting gate, has banked $289,850 and returned $4.60 to win as the 6-5 second choice.

TENNESSEE TOM REPLAY

$100,000 Gray Championships, which served as Ohio Sires Stakes consolations, were won by:

-Hot Tea, a 2-year-old daughter of Enterprise bred by owner Joyce McClelland, in 1:57.1 for driver Tyler Smith and trainer Virgil Morgan Jr.;

-Doc’s Boo Boo, a 3-year-old filly by Downbytheseaside (yes, a Downbytheseaside trotter!) in 1:56.2 for driver Jeff Nisonger, trainer Mark Winters and owner/breeder Jr Stable Llp;

-Hung Over, a 2-year-old Creatine colt, in 1:56.2 for driver Dan Noble, trainer Bob Stewart, co-owner/breeder Bluestone Farms LLC. and co-owner Lynda Stewart;

-Bidenurtime, a 3-year-old Creatine gelding bred by Steve Stewart and William Jones, in 1:55.2 for trainer/driver Sandy Beatty and owners Roger Wallace and Larry Riffe.

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

by DRF Harness, for the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association