Scioto: Beachy rookies could shine in Next Generation stakes

With the summer season in harness racing comes an influx of horsepower in the form of 2-year-olds across North America. While most regions use Sire Stakes and conditioned events to provide opportunities for these youngsters, Scioto Downs offers a unique opportunity for connections of these horses to immediately score a big payday with four $150,000 Next Generation races at the start of July each year.

The 2026 edition of the Next Generation is scheduled for Saturday, July 4, and trainer Vernon Beachy has his barn out in full force for the 16-race card that also includes six Sire Stakes races for 3-year-old fillies and over $1,000,000 in total purse money. The 38-year-old Beachy has seven of his 22 horses in action at Scioto and a healthy four starters in three of the Next Generation stakes.

The first of four consecutive Next Generation races starts in race 10, and Beachy sends out Made For More from post three with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. at the lines. The son of Long Tom has come out strong with two qualifying wins at The Meadows but in slower times of just 2:03 and 2:02 3/5.

"The way we qualify at The Meadows it's a lot of times slow halves and then we come a nice back-half," said Beachy, pointing out a 57 4/5 final-half in her most recent mile. "She's been a really nice filly all winter training down.

"I'm pretty confident in her. I think she's going to give her all."

A homebred from John Schlabach, Made For More is the 4-1 co-second choice in the field of eight.

One race later Beachy sends out a very interesting prospect in Sea Surge, a pacing filly by Downbytheseaside that came to him by way of Archie Yoder from Rose Run Farms. They bought her for just $10,000 at the Ohio Selected Sale.

"They bought her because she was cheap, and I think they were going to sell her again, but they didn't have anyone else to buy her," said Beachy. "They had Bobby Klein train her down, and then they sent her to me about a month and a half ago."

Sea Surge was a distant third timed in 2:01 in her first Meadows qualifier under Beachy but followed it up with a much-more impressive 1:57 3/5 mile on June 23 over the same oval.

"The first time we qualified her, we just went around there and she qualified better than the line looks," said Beachy. "The next week I told Chris Lems I'd like to go a decent mile, and he came back and said, 'this is a nice filly.'"

The performance was truly exceptional as Lems had a tight hold of his filly through the stretch despite sprinting home in 28 1/5. The driver will be back in the bike this week as a 6-1 option on the morning-line from post six.

Beachy sends out a pair of contenders in the 12th race colt trot, with Satan's Fury (8-1) and Lems drawing post two, while Walks The Fire (4-1) has Wrenn Jr. from post five.

Satan's Fury already has a pari-mutuel line under his belt. The gelding by Volstead started from post eight and was fifth in his debut, seemingly touring the track from last most of the mile.

"It wasn't going to be [an easy mile], but everyone on the inside left," said Beachy about Satan's Fury, who he trains for Richard Gutnick and Thomas Pontone. "He'd been training really good, but I wasn't happy with his qualifiers. So, I just threw him in an overnight race. He ended up trotting his back-half in 56 1/5, and they were across the track for third behind Anthony's [MacDonald, Lou Armstrong, post three, 9-5] horse. But I was really happy with his first race and we decided to take a shot."

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While the jury is still out on Satan's Fury, Beachy is extremely high on the prospects of Walks The Fire. From the hot Ohio sire In Range, the colt owns a pair of qualifying wins; the latest in 2:00 1/5 with a 27 3/5 final quarter.

"If everything stays par, this is not the first time you'll talk about this colt," said Beachy, hinting that the Grand Circuit could be in his future. "I think he has the tools to be more [than just an Ohio Sire Stakes horse]. He's staked to everything."

A $30,000 Harrisburg purchase owned by Trotters R Us and First Up Racing Stable, Beachy added that they were surprised by the price and expected to pay double.

For Beachy, who is stabled in New Philadelphia, Ohio, about halfway between The Meadows and Northfield Park, he likes the idea of the Next Generation series and the potential to make an early purse score.

"It gives you an opportunity to make money, and obviously you're calling me, so it creates buzz around Ohio as well," said Beachy, who also acknowledged those that feel racing 2-year-olds in bigger stakes should be for later in the summer. "A lot of people don't race for that reason, and there is a point that can be made for that. But I feel like without tooting my horn, I do a pretty good job of putting a really good foundation on them so that they're all set. Plus a week or two later they're all going to be going the same time anyway."

Post time for the Saturday Scioto card is 5:25 P.M. (EDT), and the Next Generation races will be part of the Fox Sports broadcast along with the all-stakes card at the Meadowlands.