Four horses secured their second Buckeye Stallion Series wins of the season as MGM Northfield Park hosted five $27,027 divisions of the third leg for sophomore colt pacers on Sunday, July 6.

Second-leg winners Johnny Up, Derby Up, Twin B High Tide, and Fly High Cruiser are now two-time winners in the 2025 BSS after winning their respective division.

Tyler Smith drove two winners, including Johnny Up, who won the first division in a lifetime-best 1:52.1, which was the fastest time among all five divisions.

Johnny Up (pictured above) led at all three calls with fractions of :27.1, :56.3, and 1:24.2 and won by almost six lengths. Ahhh Bach (Ronnie Gillespie) was second followed by Butchershop Buck (Dan Noble) in third. Trained by Edward Miller, Johnny Up has four wins in six starts this season. The Lather Up gelding has won five of his 13 lifetime starts and has earned $87,486. He is owned by Allen Miller.

Smith also drove Twice As Much to his first BSS victory of the season, winning the fifth division in 1:55. The Logan Rowe trainee was fifth at the :27 quarter and fourth at both the :57 half and 1:25 three-quarters. Twice As Much moved second up behind Makin Moonshine (Noble) going to the half. As the 9-5 favourite Rodeo Cowboy (Aaron Merriman) went off stride entering the final turn, Twice As Much moved outside of Makin Moonshine en route to a closely contested finish. Twice As Much won by a head over Catch The Express (Gillespie) and Makin Moonshine. The top four horses were separated by just two-fifths of a second. Twice As Much has three wins in 11 seasonal starts. The gelded son of Mr Apples has seven wins and $74,914 in earnings in 19 lifetime starts. He is owned by Matt Rowe.

Derby Up (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) secured his second BSS win of the season, edging Bars And Notes (Justin Irvine) by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.4. Go Jim Dandy (Kurt Sugg) was third. Leaving from post two, Derby Up cut fractions of :28.1, :57.1, and 1:25.3. The Ryan Miller trainee has four wins in nine starts this season and $46,550 in lifetime earnings. The gelded son of Lather Up, Derby Up is owned by Miller Racing Stable, Chris Gilbert, Chad Howell, and Janie Hartley.

Twin B High Tide (Austin Hanners) is also a two-time BSS winner in 2025 after taking the third division in 1:56.4. The Alicia Hanners trainee won by a length over Spiritshappyending (Noble) with Billion (Sugg) in third. Twin B High Tide left from post six and led the entire way with fractions of :28.4, :59.2, and 1:28.3. The Downbytheseaside colt has hit the board in all three starts this season with two wins. He has seven victories in 12 lifetime starts with earnings of $221,596 and is owned by Hanners Racing.

Fly High Cruiser (Noble) won the fourth division in a lifetime-best 1:52.3, giving him two BSS victories on the season. The Anette Lorentzon trainee led at the :27.1 quarter before settling in the pocket behind Woodrow Blue Chip (Wrenn Jr.) past the :56.2 half. Woodrow Blue Chip continued to lead at three-quarters in 1:24.1. Down the stretch, Fly High Cruiser moved into the passing lane and pulled in front of Woodrow Blue Chip to win by a length. Moons Up (Kayne Kauffman) was third. Fly High Cruiser has two wins in six seasonal starts. The Yankee Cruiser gelding has hit the board in eight of 13 lifetime starts with three wins and $67,125 in earnings. He is owned by Lorentzon and Tony Hall.

Sunday’s 15-race card at Northfield also featured a $27,703 Open Handicap Trot, $27,703 Open Handicap Pace, and $22,973 Open II Pace.

The 30-1 longshot Irresistible Son (Keith Kash Jr.) won the Open Handicap Trot by a nose in 1:55. Buckeyebollinger N (Merriman) won the Open Handicap Pace by three-quarters of a length in 1:51.4. Mufferaw Joe (Noble) came out on top by a length in the Open II Pace in 1:52. 

The Buckeye Stallion Series continues on Monday, July 7 with four $20,000 USD divisions of sophomore colt trotters as part of a 16-race card at MGM Northfield Park. First-race post time is 6 p.m. Four divisions of the third leg for sophomore filly trotters will be part of a 16-race card at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Wednesday (July 9). First-race post time is 5:45 p.m.

(Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association)