The richest Sire Stakes finals in North America take place in Ohio at Northfield Park on Sunday evening (9/5) when eight $300,000 Buckeye State championship races will be contested for 2- and 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. While there will be eight Ohio champions crowned, a quartet of horses - Gulf Shores, Caviar Roxie Due, Sea Silk and Winning Ticket - will be going for the series sweep, and three of those look to continue an undefeated 2021 season. Putting the most impressive streak on the line Sunday is Winning Ticket. At nine-for-nine this year, the son of Triumphant Caviar, just a $4,000 purchase at the November 2019 Blooded Horse Sale, has certainly produced a healthy profit for the ownership group of trainer Chris Beaver, Steven Zeehandelar, Tim Homan and Jim Burnett. "He had no video and a beat-up back leg, but I could tell it was alright," recalled Beaver. "I don't usually like to buy a horse with no video, but I liked everything else about him, especially the way the dam lined up with Triumphant Caviar; the crosses were all good. "I trained Triumphant Caviar and still own part of him. I breed some mares to him. I've always supported the horse from the start, and he's been really good to me over the years. I have lots of $100,000 winners by him. He's a good sire, and it doesn't matter who they bring into the state. He just rises up to the competition." Racing exclusively in Ohio this year, Winning Ticket has earned $189,500 and set a lifetime mark of 1:53 1/5. The gelding starts from post six in the 12th race 3-year-old Colt and Gelding Trot with regular driver Aaron Merriman at the helm. "He's given me good reason to be confident," said Beaver on his mindset going into the final. "I'm always a little nervous going into these finals; anything can happen. More what I'm concerned about is that something crazy could happen, and crazy things seem to happen in the Ohio Sire Stakes finals. At Northfield it is even worse because a lot of people want to get off the gate and get into position. I'm just hoping for a clean journey and let him do his best." Should everything go smoothly on Sunday, Beaver is looking ahead to even more prominent races for the 13-time career winner. "He's been as dominant in this group as any horse I've trained," said Beaver. "After the final, I'm hoping to try the Grand Circuit with him, so we'll see how he stacks up with top horses. He's pretty much skated through the Sire Stakes." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Before Beaver starts rooting for Winning Ticket to stay unbeaten, he'll be hoping his 2-year-old trotting filly Caviar Roxie Due (post five) continues her run of success in her $300,000 final (race seven). For the same ownership as Winning Ticket, with the exception of VIP Internet Stable subbing in for Jim Burnett, the daughter of Triumphant Caviar actually owns a loss in 2021 but has been perfect in three Ohio Sires Stakes starts. "I've had to protect her a little bit. She hasn't been the soundest filly. I skipped the last [Sires Stakes] leg with her, but she has been training well. She should be alright," said Beaver about the filly with a somewhat peculiar name. "We bought her at the Select Sale. I don't really understand the name either." Brett Miller takes over in the bike behind Caviar Roxie Due as regular driver Aaron Merriman moves to fellow Beaver trainee Gabbys C Note (post one), a three-time Sires Stakes winner in 2021. "She's probably the favorite in there," said Beaver about Gabbys C Note. "She's been the fastest of any of the fillies. She's gritty, determined and has been the most professional." Beaver also has a bit of a stranglehold on the 2-year-old Colt and Gelding Trot (race nine) with a trio of two-time Sire Stakes winners in the field. Caviar Gold goes from the cones, The Mighty Hill post four and Gabbys Bit Coin post seven. "All three of them have been really good. I don't think I could even pick the best one from the group. They all have about the same shot," said Beaver. "Gabbys Bit Coin is probably the fastest, but the post kind of worked out to even out the odds a bit between them." The richest 2-year-old filly pacer of 2021 and owner of an unblemished six-for-six career record, Sea Silk goes to post in the eighth race $300,000 final for her age group and sex. "She's special. She does everything you ask," said trainer Ron Burke, who co-owns the filly with Weaver Bruscemi, Knox Services and Hatfield Stables. From the first crop of Downbytheseaside, currently the leading money-winning stallion of 2-year-olds this year, Sea Silk has an average margin of victory just shy of three lengths and should still be the favorite despite facing a quality field from post eight that includes stablemate Cape Cod Hanover (post one), a five-time winner in six career starts. "There are some good fillies in there. Post eight, it won't be easy. They make you work [at Northfield]," said Burke, who also has Dragon Lady in the field from post four. When Gulf Shores puts his four-for-four record on the line in the $300,000 2-year-old colt and gelding pace (race four), he'll have a huge rooting crowd outside of just his listed ownership group of Country Club Acres, Diamond Creek Racing and Wingfield Brothers. Gulf Shores is part of Diamond Creek Farms' Crossover Racing and has given that fractional ownership group plenty to get excited about as he seeks a sweep of the series. "The whole worry of going to Northfield is post position," said trainer Brian Brown before finding out his colt drew post five, "but this horse gets around the track good and he doesn't even wear ear plugs. He's such a nice horse to drive and be around." As the fastest horse in the field with a 1:51 3/5 lifetime mark, Gulf Shores is likely the horse to beat with Ronnie Wrenn Jr in the bike, but fellow Downbytheseaside colt Sling Shock (Dan Noble) to his outside in post six has a solid time of 1:52 and multiple Sires Stakes wins to his credit as well. "I think he stacks up really well. He's undefeated in the Sires Stakes, so he's pretty much beaten most of them. He's not head and shoulders above the rest, though. Dan Noble has a really nice colt (Sling Shock), Steve Carter's horse [Tre Cruz] has gotten really good, and I'm sure I'm missing a horse or two," said Brown. "It usually comes down to trip in any big race. I don't think my horse has to have the perfect trip. He can win on the front or from the back on the outside." Brown, who also trained 2017 Pacer of the Year Downbytheseaside, couldn't be happier with how his first crop has excelled on the track. "I'm thrilled with him," said Brown about Downbytheseaside, who sired six of the finalists in the colt final and five in the filly division. "They aren't all great ones, but for a first crop, he's going to have like five in the filly final. Ronnie Burke has three or four who are amazing. I have two, one of them didn't even make the final. She's a really nice filly, just not as good as Ronnie's. He's going to be well-represented. You couldn't have asked for a better first year." The $2.4 million Ohio Super Night card, which includes 16 races and gets underway at 6:00 P.M., also features a $20,000 All-Stakes Guaranteed Pick 5 in race six and $10,000 Pick 4 in race 11.