Harness: Sugar Instead and Gillespie have defied the odds in 2023

Everyone loves a good Cinderella story, regardless of the sport. Whether it’s a kid from a Junior College making it in the pros or a product that seems to come out of nowhere from a low-budget, poorly capitalized entrepreneur. But no Cinderella story is as good as when it involves a racehorse defying probability.

It happens more than you think – witness Minnesota 2-year-old filly trotting champion Baby Flash, a $5,000 yearling purchase who is 13-of-15 on the year with over $92,000 in the bank, or colt champ, the undefeated $5,500 yearling DP Freedoms Chrome (Foryoualmostfree-Wannabee Loved), who has earned $78,500. He is 10-for-10!

But as much as I like the program, Minnesota is a minor market and we just don’t see that kind of thing happen in states with big Sires Stakes programs like Pennsylvania or Kentucky or Ohio. Except when we do. Last year at Ohio’s top sale, the Ohio Select (or Jug) sale, a filly by first-crop sire Volstead brought a record $170,000 bid. Volana (originally Idas First Dance) is the first foal from a full sister to 2017 Ohio 3-year-old Trotting Filly of the Year Rose Run Sydney 4,1:54 1/5 ($597,703).

Little known to any of those buyers, the best Volstead had already been sold at public auction and it was not a yearling sale. It was a mixed sale. Sugar Instead (Volstead – Sugar Pop – Windsong’s Legacy) was purchased for Susan Sickle by journeyman trainer/driver and Mississippi native Ronnie Gillespie for just $11,000 at the Blooded Horse Sales Company’s August offering.

In her most recent effort, on Jugette Day at Delaware Ohio, she turned in a dominating performance. Driver Ronnie Gillespie tipped Sugar Instead off the rail at the three-quarter pole in 1:26 1/5 and cruised home in 29 4/5 to score the 6 1/4 length win in 1:56. My Rory (Tony Hall) was second and Westfiftyfive (Dexter Dunn) was third.

The win was her seventh in nine freshman starts and pushed her earnings to $363,925. But how did the $11,000 purchase get to this point?

“The filly trained down really well and qualified in 1:57 in her second attempt. She kind of shocked me,” said Gillespie. “I knew she could go under 2:00 [in the qualifier], maybe 1:59. She was just so relaxed. I was surprised when I saw the timer. I just never asked her for the last quarter.”

The filly trained down well enough to earn a spot in the early-season Next Generation at Scioto Downs, where she was favored. But a first-over move fell short as she was defeated by another Volstead daughter, Jurassic Hattie. But by then the filly had been sold to Joyce McClelland and Larry Willis, two patrons of trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr, who paid $150,000 for her after a 1:57 qualifying win. Knowing a good thing when he sees it, he kept Gillespie, who has toiled primarily on the Ohio fair circuit, as her pilot. Toiled may not be the right word. Last year, he dominated the fair circuit, with over 100 wins.

The pairing between Sugar Instead and Gillespie has been sweet indeed. She has helped the 51-year-old set a career high in earnings for his drives at $776,739, 20% of his career total. For the uninitiated, Gillespie has over 900 career driving wins and nearly 350 as a trainer. He’s also hitting at over a 20% win rate in both categories for his 25-plus year career.

Getting back to Sugar Instead, the bay trotter would go on to win the first three legs of the Ohio Sires Stakes in her next three starts before tasting defeat for the last time (so far) in the $54,500 Ohio State Fair Stakes. She was unable to get by I Am Independent, after that Triumphant Caviar filly got an early lead and was able to control the fractions. Sugar Again rebounded to win the final two legs of the Ohio Sires Stakes, leading into the Ohio Super Night.

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In her $300,000 Sires Final, Gillespie and Sugar Instead left no doubt, powering to the front and cutting fractions of 26 3/5, 55 4/5 and 1:23 4/5 en route to the career-best 1:55 win. Eleven days later she won the Ohio Breeders Championship, as we mentioned above. She has earned $182,800 in September alone and she may not be done. Although trainer Virgil Morgan could not be reached for confirmation, Gillespie said there is serious consideration being given to sending her to Lexington, if they can find a spot for her. She is also Breeders Crown eligible.

“She was that good early that we figured we would take that chance,” said Gillespie about the Breeders Crown.

So why did the outstanding filly only bring $11,000? First off, she was not sold at either of Ohio’s two major yearling sales, so many top buyers were not there. Gillespie was looking for a filly who could make some money on the fair circuit, without overpaying.

Then there is her dam Sugar Pop. Sugar Instead was just her second foal, but her first (which did not make it to the races) was born in 2016. Her second dam Chips Ahoy, a daughter of Pine Chip, had six foals who earned a total of $22,988. It is not a pedigree that inspires confidence.

“She was the cheapest horse we bought, but she was a really good-looking filly. She was just so calm and good-natured. We looked to buy a couple more Volsteads but they went out of our price range,” Gillespie explained.

For the $170,000 Volstead filly Volana, the glass slipper didn’t fit. She has earned $640 this year. For Sugar Instead, the glass slipper fit and the clock is showing no signs of striking midnight. It’s the kind of story every yearling buyer hopes for.

That’s it for this month. Now go cash, hopefully on a Volstead colt or filly.