Scioto: Heart Of Chewbacca matches track record in OSS tally

Heart Of Chewbacca captured the first of two $50,000 Ohio Sires Stakes for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Saturday night, Aug. 8 at Scioto Downs.

The Ron Burke trainee took the lead from the start for driver Dan Noble and never looked back, flying through fractions of 26 3/5, 55 1/5, and 1:23 1/5 before unleashing a 28 second final panel to score his third lifetime triumph in a blistering 1:51 1/5 (equaling the track record and setting a national season's mark for a 2-year-old pacing colt on a five-eighths-mile oval).

The striking black colt is a son of Bring On The Beach-Jt's Chewbacca (Four Starzzz Shark), is owned by Dennis Owens and Norman Rae Racing, and left the gate as the 1-9 favorite. Bred by Spring Haven Farm, Heart Of Chewbacca now has $64,375 in career earnings. The gutsy I'm Sorry Man was second at 8-1 for Kayne Kauffman, while another Burke trainee, the 23-1 longshot Barnard Hanover, grabbed show honors with Chris Page driving.

Hardt At Work and driver-trainer Mike Micallef got the better of 4-5 favorite Charlie May (Noble) in the second OSS contest, clocked in a new lifetime mark of 1:52 2/5. Charlie May had led at nearly every step of the mile, but in the final strides Hardt At Work sneaked up the inside to better his rival handily. Four-Star Flash, a 35-1 longshot, was third for Ronnie Wrenn Jr.

Owned by Brett Boyd Racing and Anthony Formosa, the son of Manhardt-River Bend Raider-Keystone Raider picked up career victory three in his fifth career start. Bred by Gene L. Miller, Hardt At Work now has $65,500 in his bankroll. The brown gelding captured his division of the first leg of Ohio Sires Stakes action in 1:55 1/5 before finishing second in leg two to Charlie May.

--press release (Ohio Standardbred Development Fund)--