Three of the four $27,778 divisions of the fourth leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for sophomore filly pacers featured repeat winners on Sunday, Aug. 17 at MGM Northfield Park.

Catch The Fire fillies Survivin Fire (dam Lyons Mandi) and Guard The Fire (dam Gargantua Hanover) each scored their second series wins of the season as did Well Said-Sweet Anna Banana filly Anna Loves Bananas. Queen Of Fear, a Fear The Dragon-Knockout Queen filly, won the remaining division for her first series win of the year.

Anna Loves Bananas (Aaron Merriman) posted the fastest time among the four Buckeye Stallion Series races, winning the third division by a neck over Rylee Too (Brett Miller) in 1:53.2. Legendary L (Hank LeVan) was third. Anna Loves Bananas, who won a division in the third leg at Eldorado Scioto Downs in 1:52.4, left from the rail and took the lead from Rylee Too just past the :27.2 quarter. The Scott Betts trainee led the rest of the way, posting fractions of :56.2 and 1:25.1 before holding off a late charge from Rylee Too on the outside and Legendary L in the passing lane. Anna Loves Bananas has hit the board in eight of 15 seasonal starts with five wins. She is owned by Timothy Betts of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

Guard The Fire (Cameron McCown) won her division in 1:54.4. The Brian Brown trainee led wire to wire, posting fractions of :28.3, :58.3 and 1:26.3 en route to winning by almost three lengths over second-leg winner Judge Me Again (Trevor Smith) in second place. Racin Like A Star (Justin Irvine) was third. Guard The Fire won a division of the opening leg of the Buckeye at Northfield in 1:55.2 in her only other victory this season in 10 seasonal starts. She is owned by Hutchison Harness of North Ridgeville, Ohio.

Survivin Fire (Dan Noble) took her division in gate-to-wire fashion in 1:55. The Michael Hitchcock trainee recorded fractions of :28.4, :58.2 and 1:27 and won by more than two lengths over Maddies Delite (Merriman) with Four Carat Rock (Tyler Smith) in third. Survivin Fire’s prior Buckeye win was in the second leg at Scioto in a lifetime-best 1:52.1. Maddies Delite and Four Carat Rock each posted a victory in the first leg. Survivin Fire has hit the board in 14 of 17 starts this season with 10 wins for owner William Hartt of Carmel, Maine.

Queen Of Fear (Kurt Sugg) rallied from fourth place at the halfway mark to win by a head over Our Honor Defend (Case Bateson) as both horses crossed the line in 1:53.3. Queen Of Fear left from post five and settled into fourth place as Odds On Collateral (Merriman) led the field past the first two calls in :26.4 and :56.2. Sugg then took Queen Of Fear first-over and into the lead going to the 1:24.4 three-quarters. The even-money betting favourite led Our Honor Defend by two lengths entering the final stretch as the duo created a large gap between themselves and the rest of the seven-horse field. Our Honor Defend put together a strong challenge on the outside down the stretch, but Queen Of Fear held on to win the photo finish. Third-place Playonplayer (Chris Lems) was more than 13 lengths back. Queen Of Fear has hit the board in five of seven seasonal starts with four wins and one second. She is owned by Polk, Ohio's Ashley Dunn and trainer Edward Miller.

Sunday’s 15-race card at Northfield also included a $28,472 Open Handicap Trot and $28,472 Open Handicap Pace, both won by Cory Kreiser trainees. 

Rose Run Zoom (Noble) won the Open Trot by a nose over Get In And Go (Sugg) in a photo finish in 1:56.1. In the extremely close race, all seven horses finished within three-fifths of a second of each other. The four-year-old Uncle Peter-Loconotion gelding is owned by Thunder Racing Stables of Brecksville, Ohio and Cory Kreiser Racing of Northfield, Ohio.

In the Open Pace, Sure Thing Captain (Merriman) finished second but was placed first in another close finish, posting a time of 1:54. The five-year-old Captaintreacherous-Abbey Road Hanover gelding is owned by J M F Racing of Freehold, New Jersey. Mufferaw Joe (Noble) was a neck in front at the wire but placed second for a pylon infraction.

The 2025 Buckeye Stallion Series for sophomore filly pacers continues with the fifth leg on Sept. 18 at Delaware Fair.

(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association; photo of Anna Loves Bananas winning on Aug. 17)