There may be a new sheriff in town in terms of Ohio trotting stallions and if things continue on track the Buckeye state may not be his only stomping grounds. A son and daughter of In Range swept the Ohio Sire Stakes finals for 2-year-old trotters by a combined 15 lengths and certainly helped the first-year stallion mark his turf in 2025 and beyond. His dominance in Ohio aside for a moment, In Range’s first crop currently sits third in total earnings on the North American scale with $2,377,948 from 83 foals and 56 starters. He trails only perennial leader Chapter Seven ($2.68 million / 66 starters) and Captain Corey ($2.86 million / 79 starters). On average earnings, In Range jumps to second with $28,650 per starter, trailing only E L Titan who has just 11 starters to his credit. “I’m telling you, In Range is the real deal as a stallion,” said syndicate manager Kevin Greenfield before the Ohio Sire Stakes sweep even occurred. Greenfield’s words were certainly prophetic as Big Ranger coasted around the Dayton Raceway oval without an anxious moment to win the Ohio Championship for 2-year-old colt trotters in a track record 1:53 4/5. For trainer/driver Ronnie Gillespie, who won an Ohio Sire Stakes final as driver of Sugar Instead but only got to train down the horse before she was sold, it was a crowning moment in what has been a long career. “It means a lot because I’ve been training for over 20 years,” said Gillespie on getting the win as trainer. “Normally the best horse I have I end up selling it. To have the opportunity to prep a horse like this from the beginning all the way to the end is very special to me.” Gillespie, who trains about 25 horses, moved to Ohio about five years ago and has climbed the ranks nicely. The 53-year-old has made his mark enough lately that buying better horses is becoming more commonplace. “I’ve already bought eight and the highest I purchased was $77,000,” said Gillespie, who was more used to prices of $25,000 and under. With regards to In Range, Gillespie is a big fan of first-time stallions and has liked what he’s seen with In Range. “I’m big on buying first crop [sires] because most big trainers can afford the horses that have proven themselves already and when a new sire comes out they sometimes look over them until they can prove themselves,” said Gillespie. “To me 80% comes from the mare, so if you can find one with a good family I’m always willing to try a new sire.” Big Ranger was just the stage-setter in some ways for In Range as his second act Setyoursightshigh was a 6 1/2 length winner in the 2-year-old filly trot final later on the card for trainer Marcus Melander. She stopped the timer in 1:54 1/5, setting another track record. The victory not only completed the Sire Stakes sweep for In Range but gave Melander his first Ohio Sire Stakes championship. He of course placed all the credit with the horse. “She’s a great filly. She’s been doing everything right the entire year. It’s been a long season for her but she’s still going strong,” said Melander in the post-race interview. Setyoursightshigh is expected to do just that and try to place In Range in the national spotlight by competing in the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park in a few weeks. While Big Ranger won’t be joining her because Gillespie “chose wrong” according to him when he had to pick one of his horses for the Breeders Crown payments, his Grand Circuit future will likely be in place for 2026. “That will be the plan but we’ll see how he comes out of this race and how he trains down, but our plan is to stake him to the big races next year,” said Gillespie. For In Range, a career winner of $793,037 who too often had to settle for second or third behind horses like Captain Corey in the biggest races, he seems to be making up for it via his very talented progeny.