After hitting the board in each of the first two legs of the Buckeye Stallion Series for three-year-old filly trotters, Sweet Rose and Iwillmakeuproud As will be looking to add to their success as Eldorado Scioto Downs hosts four $20,000 USD divisions of the third leg on Wednesday, July 9.

Sweet Rose enters as the 5-2 morning line favoyrite in the second division ahead of 7-2 second choice Thelastlioness As. The Marseille filly posted a win in the first leg of the Buckeye on May 20 at MGM Northfield Park and finished second to Youthful Kemp in the second leg on June 19 at Scioto. Aaron Merriman drove Sweet Rose in the opening leg, but it was Chris Lems in the sulky for the second leg. Lems is again pegged to drive for trainer Matthew Burkholder on Wednesday.

“When Aaron drove her, Lems was getting married in Montana, so we used Aaron, and he did a great job with her,” said Burkholder. “But Lems drives most of my horses and does a great job with them.”

Lems has driven Sweet Rose in seven of her 12 career starts and three of her six victories, including her lifetime best of 1:57.4 at Northfield on May 7. She has hit the board in all four starts this season with three wins and one second in what is shaping up to be a promising year as she continues to increase her lifetime earnings that currently stand at $75,435.

“She’s been nothing but a pleasure to be around,” said Burkholder. “She tries hard every start and gives it her best effort.”

Sweet Rose started from post four in her opening leg victory and drew post five in the second leg. She’ll leave from the far outside on Wednesday, making things more difficult.

“When you get a draw like that, you need some things to go your way,” said Burkholder. “She’s a very nice filly, but the nine-hole is hard to overcome, so we’ll need some luck.”

While the post position isn’t ideal, Burkholder knows Sweet Rose has what it takes to not only finish in the top three in a third straight leg of the series but to tally another victory. His wife, Courtney, leases the filly from her mother, Lori Blodgett, and those familial ties would make a win taste even sweeter.

“Getting a win in the third leg would mean a lot,” said Burkholder.

Meanwhile, Iwillmakeuproud As is seeking her first Buckeye victory of 2025 after finishing second in the opening leg and third in leg two. She is the 5-2 morning line favourite in the first division with 7-2 second choice Dublins Dragonfly, who posted a runner-up finish in the second leg.

Trained by Anette Lorentzon, Iwillmakeuproud As will leave from the inside post with Dan Noble in the sulky. Owned by ACL Stuteri AB, the Lionhunter filly has hit the board in seven of 12 starts and has $43,830in lifetime earnings. This season, she has hit the board in three of five starts with one win, but Lorentzon is looking for an improved performance from her on Wednesday.

“She had a good start to the season, but I’ve been a little disappointed in her lately,” said Lorentzon. “She had some breathing issues in her last start.”

Looking ahead, Lorentzon knows Noble will give Iwillmakeuproud As a good shot to come out on top.

“We try to have Danny drive as many of our horses as we can in Ohio when we race there,” she said. “He’s obviously a very good driver and he fits our horses very well. He knows how to take care of the horses and put them in the right positions to give them a good shot to win.”

Though Iwillmakeuproud As will leave from the optimal post position, Lorentzon knows nothing is guaranteed.

“She should be top three if she’s OK, but you never know with these horses, especially in the summertime with all the shipping involved,” said Lorentzon.

The fourth division features first-leg winner Up and second-leg winner Youthful Kemp leaving from post four and six, respectively, on either side of 9-5 morning line favourite Roses Destiny. Luke Hanners is scheduled to drive Roses Destiny, a Muscle Up The Goal filly and Tami Hartman trainee who has hit the board in five of 10 starts this season. Lems will drive Up, the 7-2 second choice, while Chris Page will be in the sulky with Youthful Kemp.

At 5-2, Travel Nurse is the narrow morning line favourite in the third division over 3-1 second choice Aunt Lilly. Both fillies are looking to improve upon a second-place finish in an earlier leg of the Buckeye. Brett Miller will drive Travel Nurse, a Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee and daughter of Enterprise with one second and one third in seven seasonal starts. Kayne Kauffman will be in the sulky with the Jason McGinnis-trained Aunt Lilly, an Uncle Peter filly with two wins in eight starts this season.

After going two-for-two through the first two legs, In The End and Pelican Hanover are not entered in the third leg. They both raced in the third leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes for sophomore filly trotters on July 5 at Scioto with In The End winning the second division that night.

Wednesday’s Buckeye Stallion Series races at Scioto are part of a 16-race card that begins at 5:45 p.m.

(Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association; photo of Sweet Rose winning on May 20 at Northfield Park)