Delaware County Fair: Winning Ticket, Street Gossip score in OBC splits

Winning Ticket and Street Gossip were sent off as the wagering choices in the two $54,095 Ohio Breeders Championship flights for rookie trotting colts and geldings that were featured on Tuesday afternoon at the Delaware County Fair, and they didn't disappoint, scoring in 1:57 2/5 and 1:57 3/5, respectively.

Driven by Aaron Merriman in the first grouping, Winning Ticket went to the front from post two, cut fractions of 28 1/5, 57 4/5, and 1:27 1/5, and held sway over pocket-sitter Grafenberg (Dan Noble) to win by a neck for co-owner/trainer Chris Beaver and co-owners Steven Zeehandelar, Tim Homan, and Jim Burnett. Winning Ticket, a Triumphant Caviar colt, now has a record of 4-0-0 from seven tries, has banked $95,047, and paid $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favorite.

In the other division Street Gossip (Brett Miller) fired out from post four and hit the opening quarter in 28 4/5 and the half in 58 4/5. Shouldaknownbetter (Scott Zeron) went on the attack first-up from the third position past the half, and he got to within about a head of Street Gossip at the 1:28 1/5 three-quarters, but Street Gossip quickened on the last turn to put the first-over challenger away, then stayed ahead of pocket-sitting Tango With Me (Merriman) to the finish line to prevail by three-parts of a length. Omyheart (David Miller) was the third-place finisher.

A gelding by Cash Hall, Street Gossip is trained by Virgil Morgan Jr. for owners Carl Howard and Jesmeral Stable. Street Gossip, who was second in the Ohio Sires Stakes final, has four wins, two seconds, and two thirds from eight appearances, and he has now pocketed $171,761. He returned $2.80 to win as the 2-5 choice.