Northfield: Beaver, Burke double up in Ohio Sires Stakes for 2-year-old trotters

Trainers Chris Beaver and Ron Burke each sent out a pair of winners in $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes races for 2-year-old trotters of both sexes on Sunday night at MGM Northfield Park.

One of Beaver's victors was Next Generation champion Spaaaanzano, who carved out all the fractions with driver Aaron Merriman at the controls and won by three lengths in 1:58 4/5. Beaver also co-owns Spaaaanzano, a Timothy Stutzman-bred gelding by Coraggioso, with Spaaaartners, Bill Manes and Leo Fleming. One of the members of Spaaaartners is Tom Durkin, longtime voice of the Thoroughbred Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, and Durkin was on hand in the winner's circle to greet his horse.

Beaver and Merriman also teamed up to win the first flight for the fillies with Roxanna, who split foes from the pocket in the stretch and tallied by half a length in 1:59 4/5. Roxanna, a daughter of What The Hill who was sent off at 12-1, is co-owned by Beaver in partnership with breeder Sandra Burnett.

Burke and Chris Page took two of the four showdowns, with both Long Tom gelding Tennessee Tom [1:58 4/5] and Triumphant Caviar filly Iam Indepedent [1:58 4/5] rallying from off-the-pace at three-quarters to get to the winner's circle. Tennessee Tom, who was second in the Next Generation, was bred by Albert Miller and is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Hatfield Stables and Knox Services Inc., and Iam Independent was bred by Marion Beachy and is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC., Hatfield Stables and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

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The other tilt for the males went to Uncle Peter gelding Rose Run Zoom in 1:57 4/5 for driver Don Irvine Jr., co-owner/trainer Rosy Weaver and co-owners Heartland Acres and Kabby D LLC., and the second of the three clashes for the fillies was taken by Sugar Instead in 1:58 1/5 for driver Ronnie Gillespie, trainer Virgil Morgan Jr., and owners Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. Rose Run Zoom was bred by Rose Run Farm, and Sugar Instead, who is by first-crop sire Volstead, was bred by Elmer Miller.