Delaware County Fair: Old Oaken Bucket won by Cheers Hanover

Cheers Hanover picked up his second straight stakes win by taking the $103,500 Old Oaken Bucket for sophomore colt and gelding trotters on Thursday at the Delaware (Ohio) County Fairgrounds. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. drove Cheers Hanover to his 1:54 4/5 triumph for trainer Ron Burke.

3-5 favorite Whiskey Wow (David Miller) was on a loose lead through fractions of 29 1/5, 58 2/5 and 1:26 3/5 while Cheers Hanover gapped in the pocket, but Cheers Hanover made up the deficit past three-quarters and went on the attack on Whiskey Wow on the final bend. Cheers Hanover trotted by Whiskey Wow before they entered the lane and then was able to hold off Lefties Righties (Braxten Boyd), who had tracked him all the way from third, by half a length on the wire. Whiskey Wow faded to third, followed by Ponda Bugatti (Scott Zeron), Mazoyeres (Aaron Merriman), The Brodster (Jason Bartlett) and Baloo (Dexter Dunn).

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"I really like this trotter. When he behaves he can really trot," Wrenn Jr. remarked in the winner's circle. "He's really quick. I got him out of the gate well, was able to secure the two-hole and popped out at like the five-eighths. He did the rest."

A gelded son of Bar Hopping, Cheers Hanover was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms and is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., James Simpson and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby. He has nine wins, four seconds and three thirds from 27 starts, has banked $254,848 and paid $6.20 to win as the 2-1 second choice.