Racing News '05   

For the 3 yr old filly Ohio Breeder's Cup at the Delaware County Fair, Thursday, Sept 22.  Precious will be in the first division, race 5, and Scoot will be in the second division, the 7th race on the card.  Precious will be matching up against her old friends One Wild Woman and QE II, while Scoot meets up with Emma's Desire and rival My Awesome Babe.    You won't want to miss this exciting end to the triple crown season.  The racing begins at 10:30 a.m. and you can catch all the action live.  Click here for the feed.

Precious finished first in Upper Sandusky, with driver Bob Harper steering her to a near perfect victory.  Scoot ran into a little difficulty later to finish 3rd.

MScoot and Precious to race Thursday, 9/15...

Upper Sandusky is the place to be Thursday night, Sept 15th,  to see the 2005 Ohio Sire Stakes Champion Scoot to Connect take to the track following her amazing victory Sept. 3rd.  Scoot and her stable mate Precious Body will be racing in their final race before jug week starts on Sept 21st.  Scoot starts from the 6 hole in the 12th race with Brett Miller holding the lines.  Precious is on the inside in the 6th race with Devan Miller in the sulky.  

Mem does it again...

Precious finished first in the fifth and final leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes at Northfield Park Friday night to assure her place as one of the top 3 yr olds in Ohio in 2005.  Precious, under an expert drive by Northfield's leading driver Greg Grismore, went wire to wire to beat out Chanel's Chance, with a time of 1:56.4.  

Scoot to Connect, and driver Brett Miller finished fourth in 1:58.0 behind another Virgil Morgan Jr. entry, My Awesome Babe.   

MeM owners are anxiously awaiting the posting of the final standings on the afternoon of August 30th to see whether both their fillies will be in the top 8.

And Northfield Park is THE place to be for harness racing enthusiasts this Friday night, 8/26, as the best fillies in Ohio suit it up to compete in the 5th and final leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes.  Only the top 8 fillies after this week will win a chance to be in the Finals next Friday night and to compete for over $100,000 in purse money.  

This Friday night both of MeM's fillies,  Scoot to Connect, along with stable mate Precious Body will each be racing for $20,200 and trying to maintain their position in the top 10.  Scoot will be up first on the card, starting the 10th race from the 9th position.  Scoot's fantastic time of 1:53.4 her last time out will make her hard to beat in this field of 9.

Precious will have it a bit easier starting from the 3 hole in the 11th race.  Precious will once again be up against rival One Wild Woman, with the best time in this field of ten at 1:54.2.

These horses have been giving it all all summer long and these next two weekends are what MeM's owners, trainers, and fans have been watching and waiting for.

Good luck to them all!

 What a night to remember...   

Race fans were treated to an incredible victory Friday night when MeM's 3 yr old filly out of Village Connection, Scoot to Connect, turned in a scorching performance to win the fourth leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes and a chance to move on to the finals to be held at Northfield Park Sept. 3rd.  Trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. fresh off of a $375,000.00 win Saturday at the Meadowlands, along with driver Brett Miller, took Scoot wire to wire in the 10th.  Scoot never looked back as she set a blistering pace against a field of 8, including LucyAnna and My Awesome Babe, who've been challenging her all summer long.  Scoot set a new lifetime and MeM Stables mark of 1:53.4.

Stable mate Precious Body did not fare as well, finishing fourth with a time of 1:56.0.  Precious went out in the 7th race from the 6 hole against a field of nine that included top money winner One Wild Woman, owned by MeM Stables' good friends Dick and Joyce McClelland.  Both fillies have turned in incredible performances all summer and will be matching up again on August 26th for the fifth leg of the OSS and  Sept 3rd when the best fillies in Ohio meet in the OSS Finals at Northfield Park.

 An unbelievable third straight win...

Friday night, August 5, Scioto Downs hosted the Ohio State Fair races for 3 yr old fillies.  Three divisions raced for a whopping $66,600 total purse.  There was excitement in the air as the top fillies in the state were set to compete in the last night of fair racing.  

Scoot to Connect started the night off, racing in the 3 hole in the first race against a field that included Lucyanna, For Which It Stands and stable mate My Awesome Babe.  With Brett Miller holding the lines Scoot went wire to wire to upset the entire field of 8.  Scoot set a blistering 1st quarter pace of 27.0 and never slowed down, setting her lifetime mark of 1:54.1  Lucyanna finished second by a nose and Emmas Desire was third.  MeM Stables owners took home a blanket and trophy for fastest time of the day for her performance.

Precious Body had the inside position in the third race with the leading money winning filly in Ohio, One Wild Woman, right beside her.  The two of them have matched up closely all summer and tonight was no exception.  Out of the gate they were neck and neck, setting a blazing 26.2 first quarter time.  Precious pulled into the garden spot after the 1 qtr pole, where driver Brett Miller kept her until he steered her on the inside down the stretch to finish second with an amazing 1:54.3 behind One Wild Woman's lifetime mark of 1:54.2.  

Keep it right here this summer as these two continue to battle it out for 'top filly in Ohio' honors. 

Hotmix starts inside in the eleventh race at The Red Mile on Friday, August 5.  Hotmix, is looking for his first win in 5 starts against a field of 8.

Precious and Scoot finish first again...

The racing world is all abuzz at the amazing run turned in by the two MeM fillies, Precious Body and Scoot to Connect.  MeM Stables has teamed up with two of the best in harness racing today, Brett Miller and Virgil Morgan Jr, to bring home 5 firsts and one second in their last six starts!  Marysville Ohio was the scene Sunday, July 24th, for an incredible day of racing for the MeM team.  

Precious was up first, starting from the second hole in the second race on the card.  Against a field of eight, Precious stayed just back of the front runner, Its Kims Time, until they rounded the 3/4 pole.  Driver Brett Miller moved Precious to the lead to finish the race with a 2:01.3.

Scoot started the eighth race from the rail where she led for all but a few seconds of the race and ran a 2:01.4 to finish ahead of the field of 7.

Both fillies will have a week off to rest up for the Ohio State Fair races held Friday night, August 5, at Ohio's Showplace of Racing, Scioto Downs.

Good luck girls, keep the streak going!

Precious and Scoot finish first...

The Franklin County Fair was the place to be on Saturday, July 16th for all you MeM watchers out there.   The Fair, which is held at the fairgrounds in Hilliard, kicks off with harness racing in the grandstand at 11 a.m. sharp.  Both of MeM's three year old fillies were on the race card; Precious in the first and Scoot in the ninth.  Both were in a field of 8.  

The starter called the first race and Precious was out of the four hole where driver Ron Steck kept her near the back of the pack until the 3/4 pole, where he swung her out and to the front.  She never looked back as driver Ron Steck took her to the wire.

Scoot finished first as well, going wire to wire in the ninth.  As she came down the stretch under a near perfect drive by Brett Miller the announcer called out, "It's Miller time!"

Precious finished the day with the fastest time overall, a time of 1:59.4. 

Both fillies delivered an unbelievable performance on the heels of their OSS triumph this past Sunday in Toledo.

Thursday, July 14th Hotmix started the 7th race from the three hole in a $3,600 purse race.  Hotmix finished 6th, with a time of 1:58.3 against a field of ten.

Precious Body came from the second tier to win her second Ohio Sire Stakes race Sunday at Raceway Park in Toledo.  Under a drive from Aaron Merriman, Precious finished in front with the fastest time of the day - 1:56.2, to beat two of the leading money winning fillies this year, QE II and My Awesome Babe.  Precious and One Wild Woman are the only 3 yr olds to win two legs of the Sire Stakes in 2005.  Click here to read about Precious' first OSS win.

Precious' stable mate Scoot to Connect turned in a smoking performance in her race, coming from the back of the field down the stretch to finish a half a nose behind the winner and take second place.  

What an exciting night of racing for MeM stables.

The draw for Sunday's Ohio Sire Stakes is complete...

and Brett Miller will be at the reins for MeM's Scoot to Connect.  Scoot will start the 7th race from the 3 hole against a field of 9 hopefuls.  Precious Body runs the 8th race  from the second tier against a field of 9 that includes one of the year's top money winners QE II, as well as My Awesome Babe.  Both of the fillies need to deliver strong performances to stay in contention for the OSS title.  MeM owners hope having the experienced Miller at the reins for one of the races will give them the edge they need.

Click here to read about Brett Miller's season to date.

MeM owners hired trainer Virgil Morgan Jr to train their two, three year old filly pacers, Scoot to Connect and Precious Body.  Virgil will prepare them for the 3rd leg of the Sire Stakes at Raceway Park on July 10th, where leading driver Brett Miller will take the reins.  Click here to find out more about Virgil Morgan Jr.

Friday night both MeM fillies turned in disappointing performances.  Scoot started off strong sitting behind front runner Im Macon Trax until the 3/4 pole, where she dropped to 4th.  She eventually finished seventh with a time 1:57.0.  Precious started from the rail and fell to the middle of the pack.  She finished the race ninth, with a time of 1:59.2 in part due to a 32.0 final quarter.  

Friday, July 1st, MeM will send their two, three year old filly pacers off at Scioto Downs to tune them up for the upcoming Sire Stakes races.  Scoot to Connect will start things off racing from the three hole in race 1.  Scoot will be running against a field of ten where the combination of a 1:57.1 lifetime best, and driver Kayne Kauffman should make her very competitive.  Precious Body starts from the rail  in the 4th race, against a tough competitor, My Awesome Babe, who has a lifetime best of 1:53.4.  Both Scoot and Precious need a strong performance this weekend to take them into the third leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes on July 10th.   Click here for OSS standings.

Emma's Desire came from behind to finish with a victory in Friday's Steinam Pace final.  The early favorite, One Wild Woman, with driver Dennis Miller, was in the lead at the 3 quarter pole, but Emma's Desire poured on a 29.0 3rd quarter to win at the wire.  Precious Body and driver Hugh Beatty set a blazing 27.2 first quarter pace after a near break by the horse next to her.  She finished 6th.  Scoot to Connect fell to the back but was charging hard down the stretch and finished fifth under a drive by Jeff Nisonger.  The top three looked like this:  Emmas Desire, One Wild Woman, QE II.   

Armbro turned in a 2:02.4 to finish 9th Wednesday night at Hoosier Park.  Armbro's performance this year hasn't matched his 2004 season.  MeM owners will be hoping to see improvement his next time out.

Both Scoot and Precious qualified for the Steinam finals this Friday, June 24th, at Scioto Downs.  Precious will start in the four hole and Scoot in  eight.   Each filly has won one Steinam leg.  They'll be facing off against their rivals QE II and One Wild Woman in the $10,000 purse race.  Good luck to both!

Armbro set for Wednesday...

Armbro drew the 10th position in the second race Wednesday, June 22nd, at Hoosier Park.  He'll be starting from the second tier, but his fast closing speed should help him. 

Precious ran 6th in the fourth leg of the Steinam Pace Friday June 17th behind a slow paced mile of 1:57.3.  Precious started from the outside post and driver Jeff Nisonger stayed back with her until the last quarter mile, where she finished in 1:58.4.

Hotmix finished 5th Sunday night at Hoosier Park with a 1:58.0 time.    Hotmix was as far back as 7th down the stretch but came back to finish 5th on a strong 29.2 final quarter.

Hotmix is set to run in his first race in Indiana on Sunday, June 19th.  He'll leave from pp 5 in the second race and MeM owners hope he shows those Hoosier horses how to run around the big track.

MeM Stables watchers will not want to miss the fourth leg of the Steinam Pace, running at Scioto Downs Friday, June 17th.   Precious is entered in the 4th leg of the Steinam Pace  and will start the ninth race from post position 7 against her rival QE II!  Precious and QE II have each taken one of the Steinam wins, so Friday's race will be the tie breaker!  Look for Precious to come out strong after an excellent week of training.

Saturday, June 12th, Armbro O'Reilly ran in the second race at Hoosier Park.  Under track conditions listed as good, Armbro started out from the 4th position, but quickly dropped to ninth, where he stayed to finish the race with a 1:59.3.  

Saturday, June 11th, Don't Blame Her ran the first qualifier race of her career.  In her first outing behind the gate she broke before the first quarter pole, but was able to come back and finish in 2:03 flat.  She'll have a chance to get more familiar with that nasty gate next Saturday, when Blame and trainer Brian Brown will be back at Scioto to try again. 

Scioto Downs was the scene of the 3rd leg of the Steinam pace Friday, June 10th, and past winners Scoot to Connect and Precious Body were set to repeat their winning performances.  Scoot was up first and the odds were stacked against her.  5 minutes before post time a horrendous thunderstorm crashed through Scioto Downs, flooding the barns, parking lot and the track.  Lightning forced all the horses off the track and racing was delayed a half hour while the crew worked to dry out the track.  While the crew did a tremendous job getting the track into race shape, the outside lanes were very rough, putting horses running in the outside positions at even more of a disadvantage.  By the  fifth race conditions had improved some, but race watchers were unsure how Scoot would handle the bad draw (9th position).  The starter called 'Field in Motion' and they were off.  Scoot pulled from outside to take the lead and with a burst of speed, turned in a lightning-fast 27.4 1st quarter.  Her rival, One Wild Woman, chose the garden spot behind her where she could benefit from Scoot's efforts and run in her drag.  Scoot stayed out in front around the 3 quarter pole and was pounding down the final stretch looking to go wire to wire, when One Wild Woman surged ahead to finish a tenth of a second before her with a time of 1:57.1.  Race watchers near enough to the MeM Stables owners were able to hear them discussing how pleased they were with both Scoot's attitude and determination and driver Jeff Nisonger's excellent strategy and driving ability.  All in all it was an outstanding performance by the MeM / Nisonger team.

MeM owners were not so pleased with the performance turned in by their stables' 2005 leading money winner, Precious Body.  Precious started from the 6th pole position and immediately fell to the back of the pack where she stayed to finish a disappointing 6th.    MeM owners were heard commenting that she seemed to run out of steam and were heading out to meet with driver Jeff Nisonger to discuss Precious' performance and the factors that led to her turning in her worst performance of the year. 

Friday's 3rd leg of the Steinam pace field is set and Precious drew post position 6 in the ninth race.  Guess who's the early line favorite?  Right you are, it's Precious at 5-2.  Stable mate Scoot will be starting in the 9th position in race 6 against her rival One Wild Woman.  Experienced track watchers know that post position 9 means Scoot will have a hard time being competitive, but she's the little horse with the big heart, so she just might pull off an upset.  Friday looks to be an exciting night at the ol' track. 

Armbo O'Reilly is set for his 2005 racing debut on Sunday afternoon at Hoosier Park.   Trainer Tommy Smith has Armbro ready to compete in the field of 10 where he'll start from post position 4.  Good luck to both.

And the winner is.....

Precious Body.  Monday, May 30th, Precious and driver Jeff Nisonger teamed again to turn in an amazing 1:56.4 time and take first place in the 2nd leg of the 2005 Ohio Sire Stakes.  Look for her to blow by the competition in the third leg on July 10th at Raceway Park.

1:56.3  Another incredible time...

May 30th Scoot turned in an amazing 1:56.3 and a third place finish against some fierce competition in her first try at the 2005 Ohio Sire Stakes.  One Wild Woman took first place with a time of 1:55.2.  Look for these two to be neck and neck all summer long. 

1:57.1 WOW!...

That's the time that both Scoot and Precious brought home their first place finish on May 20th in the 2nd leg of the Steinam Pace at Scioto Downs.  In addition to finishing first, both Scoot and Precious qualified to run in the next leg of the 2005 Ohio Sire Stakes, May 30th at Scioto Downs.