Delaware County Fair: Morgan Jr. trainees strike twice in Ohio Breeders Championships
?q=100)
Trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. captured two of the three Ohio Breeders Championship (OBC) contests on Wednesday afternoon at the Delaware County Fair, winning with 2-year-old filly trotter Sugar Instead and 7-year-old trotting mare Refined.
Sugar Instead (Ronnie Gillespie), the Ohio Sires Stakes champion, got away in third from post seven in the first of two $65,600 OBC flights for rookie trotting fillies and watched Possibility (Todd McCarthy) cut a 27 3/5 quarter and a 56 3/5 half. Gillespie then attacked first-over with Sugar Instead on the third turn, and she would move up to and then by Possibility just past the 1:26 1/5 three-quarters. Sugar Instead widened for an easy victory after that, defeating My Rory (Tony Hall) by 6 1/4 lengths in 1:56, with Westfiftyfive (Dexter Dunn) up for third.
A daughter of Volstead bred by Elmer Miller, Sugar Instead is owned by Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. She has pocketed $363,925 to go with her seven triumphs and two runner-up finishes in nine outings and paid $3.00 to win as the 1-2 favorite.
In the lone $34,400 OBC for older trotters, Refined (Tyler Smith) was in command through fractions of 26, 57 and 1:25 1/5 and held off pocket-sitter Caviar Gold (Aaron Merriman) to tally by a neck in 1:54 1/5. Rose Run Valor (Kayne Kauffman) checked in third.
McClelland and Wills also own Refined, an Uncle Peter mare. This was her 36th career victory, she has now earned $963,933 and she returned $2.60 to win as the 1-5 favorite.
► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter
Roxanna (Aaron Merriman) took the other $65,600 OBC for 2-year-old filly trotters in 1:57 after she led to the quarter in 29 1/5, the half in 58 4/5 and the three-quarters in 1:27 2/5. Chulia (Smith) angled three-wide out of third on the final bend and closed well to get second and She's Spicy (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) turned a pocket trip into a third-place result.
Trainer Chris Beaver also co-owns Roxanna, a What The Hill filly, with breeder Sandra Burnett. Roxanna has a summary of 4-1-2 from eight efforts, has earned $200,500 and paid $4.60 to win as the favorite.