There have been 15 different winners through three legs of the 2025 Buckeye Stallion Series for freshman filly pacers. The only horse to claim a repeat victory thus far, Eyes Up, will go for her third series win on Thursday, Aug. 21 as Eldorado Scioto Downs hosts four $20,000 USD divisions of the fourth leg as part of an 11-race card.

Owned by Harry and Darlene Alltop of Urbana, Ohio, Eyes Up is one of 11 winners from prior legs of the Buckeye entered in Thursday’s fourth round. She won a division in each of the first two legs at Northfield Park and was a runner-up in the third leg at Urbana.

“She’s a nice little filly and was easy to break,” said trainer Deborah Swartz. “She was a little lazy starting out, but the more we went with her, the more she just started going.”

After leaving from the trailing post seven in the Aug. 4 leg at Urbana, Eyes Up was in fourth place and more than four lengths back of the leader at the halfway mark. She rallied to the lead as the front-stepping filly broke stride at three-quarters before being overtaken by Stride For Stride en route to finishing second by 2-1/4 lengths.

“She had to come from the back and just had a little trouble, but she raced well,” said Swartz.

Looking to rebound from that second-place finish, Eyes Up will leave from post seven in Thursday’s fourth leg at Scioto. She is the 3-2 favourite on the morning line in the second division. Dan Noble returns to the sulky after guiding the Lather Up-Dazzling Rockette filly in each of the first three legs. Noble is a Swartz favourite, as he has also driven Ready Russell from her stable to a three-for-three start in the Ohio Sires Stakes for freshman colt trotters.

“Danny teaches them, which is what we like. He’s really good with babies,” said Swartz.

Eyes Up has hit the board in four of her five starts, with two wins and two seconds, and her lifetime best of 1:54.4 came in the second leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series. 

While getting a somewhat difficult post draw for Thursday’s eight-horse race, Swartz believes her trainee has a legitimate shot of being the first to cross the finish line yet again.

“She doesn’t have to be on the front end,” she said. “Knowing Danny, he’ll let the dust settle early on and then leave with her. That’s usually what he does. But she’s a pretty game little filly. She’s all heart, and she’s really come a long way for us.”

Seaside Angel, the 2-1 second choice, will leave next to Eyes Up from post six with Jeremy Smith in the bike. The Downbytheseaside-Band Of Angels filly won a division in the second leg of the Buckeye in 1:55.1 and posted a third-place finish in the third leg. Trained by Ron Steck, she posted a lifetime-best 1:54.3 with Chris Page in a race at Scioto on July 11. Page is set to drive 5-2 third choice Odds On Catherine for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. Another Downbytheseaside filly out of Miss L A, she has three runner-up finishes in six starts this season and will leave from the rail.

Each of the other three divisions feature three winners from prior legs.

Mingle In Dingle (Cameron McCown) is the 6-5 morning line favourite in the first division, which also includes Jamie Amanda (Chris Page), City Of Fear (Trevor Smith) and Fire Country (Tyler Smith), each of whom has won a division in a prior leg. Mingle In Dingle has yet to win a Buckeye race this season, finishing second in the third leg after placing third in the second leg. The Dancin Yankee-Sebring Blue Chip filly is trained by Brian Brown. Morgan Jr. trainee Jamie Amanda is the 3-1 second choice. The Downbytheseaside-Omen Hanover filly took a first-leg victory in a lifetime-best 1:56.4 and has two wins and one second in four seasonal starts. Fire Country, a winner in the third leg, opened with 7-2 odds and will leave from the rail. Second-leg winner City Of Fear has 12-1 morning line odds and will leave from the far outside.

Madetorockette (Brett Miller) is the early 8-5 favourite in the third division. Trained by Jim Arledge Jr., the Pet Rock-Standing Danette filly posted a victory in the opening leg in 1:57.2 and later recorded a lifetime-best 1:54.3 in winning a division of the Ohio State Fair Stakes as a 32-1 longshot with Miller in the sulky. She has not hit the board in either of her other two seasonal starts, however. Third-leg winner Shes As Well (Dan Noble) is the 3-1 second choice. The Well Said-Asadvertised filly is trained by Dustin Pfeifer. Also a winner in the third leg, Standerosa (Tyler Smith) has been assessed at 9-1 odds. A daughter of The Panderosa-Still Standing, she is trained by Tye Loy.

Second-leg winners Queen Valerie (Page) and Rhodena Blue (Miller) and third-leg winner Atom Heart Mother (Aaron Merriman) are in the fourth division with 2-1 morning line favourite Odds On Dividend (Jeremy Smith). A Downbytheseaside-Rose Run Ultimate filly trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., Odds On Dividend has three seconds and one third in four seasonal starts. All three of her runner-up finishes have come in the Buckeye Stallion Series. She will leave from post two next to 3-1 second choice Bad Girl Up (Dan Noble) at the rail. Bad Girl Up is a Lather Up-Bad Girls Club filly trained by Ron Potter with a season-best finish of third in three starts. Atom Heart Mother is listed at 9-2 odds and will leave from the far outside. Queen Valerie and Rhodena Blue will leave side by side from posts five and six, respectively, with morning line odds of 6-1 and 8-1.

First-race post time at Scioto on Thursday is 5:45 p.m.

(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association)