Northfield Park hosted the first Buckeye Stallion Series races of the year on Sunday, May 18 featuring six divisions of three-year-old filly pacers, each with a $27,778 purse.
Foulk Stables' homebred Bubblles Out and driver Chris Page opened Sunday’s Buckeye Stallion Series slate with a victory over longshot Mandys Rottenapple (Dan Noble) in 1:53.1. The favoured Bubblles Out completed the first quarter in :27.4 and pulled away to hold the lead the rest of the way, hitting the half in :56.4 and three-quarters in 1:24.4. Seven Sisters (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) finished third. Trained by Trish Foulk, the Downbytheseaside-Valerya filly has three wins in six starts in her debut season.
Pink Jammies and driver Justin Irvine took the victory in a lifetime-best 1:56.1 as the favourite in the second division over Sectionline Flame (Noble) and second choice Trunk Bay Hanover (Austin Hanners). She led through fractions of :27.3, :57.3 and 1:26.2 en route to the victory. Sectionline Flame posed a strong challenge over the final quarter, but Pink Jammies held on to win by a neck. The daughter of Fear The Dragon-Think Pink has now hit the board in her three starts this season, including two victories. Owned by trainer Rosy Weaver and Heartland Acres, Pink Jammies has 11 wins in 22 lifetime starts with $143,227 in earnings.
Driver Cameron McCown guided 4-1 second choice Guard The Fire to the win in 1:55.2 in the third division for owner Hutchison Harness. My Hare Legend (Irvine), the 2024 Buckeye Stallion Series two-year-old filly pacing champion, entered as the favourite and led after the first three calls in :28.2, :58 and 1:26.3. Guard The Fire rallied from fifth after the first quarter-mile to trail by just a nose at the three-quarter pole. The Catch The Fire-Gargantua Hanover filly pulled away to win by 4-1/2 lengths over longshot Spinal Cracker (Noble) and My Hare Legend. The win marked the first in two starts this season for the Brian Brown-trained filly, increasing her lifetime win total to four in a dozen starts.
Noble drove the favoured Four Carat Rock to victory in 1:55.4 in the fourth Buckeye Stallion Series race of the evening. Trained by Ben Davis, Four Carat Rock covered the opening quarter-mile in :28 and the half in :57.4. The filly hit the three-quarter mark in 1:26.2 and held off a late charge from longshot Our Honor Defend (Case Bateson) to win by three-quarters of a length. Sunonmybuns (Wrenn Jr.) finished third. Four Carat Rock has hit the board in four of five starts in 2025, with two wins and two second-place finishes. The filly, by Rockin Amadeus out of Four Hour Nap, has five wins in 17 lifetime starts for breeder Brent Hopper, who shares ownership with James Davis and Kyle Gray.
Making her first start of the season on Sunday, the 9-1 fourth choice Maddies Delite and driver Aaron Merriman won the fifth division in 1:54 over Lorna Dune (Page) and third choice Survivin Fire (Brett Miller). Putting her speed on display, the favoured Anna Loves Bananas (Noble) led at the opening quarter in :26.2 and at the half-mile mark in :55. Survivin Fire caught Anna Loves Bananas at the three-quarter mark in 1:24, and Maddies Delite went three-wide from third place and sped away down the stretch for the victory by three-quarters of a length. Trained by Steve Carter for Scp Stable, the Lather Up-Moonlite Delite filly has 14 wins in 19 lifetime starts, with earnings of $142,332.
Another Carter trainee, Euphoria Rising and Miller capped Sunday’s stakes with a win in the sixth division in 1:54.2 as the favourite over Burning Sole (Noble) and second choice Foxy Seaside (Anthony MacDonald). Euphoria Rising led at every call with times of :28.1, :56.4 and 1:25.4 en route to the three-length victory. The battle down the stretch was for second, as Burning Sole came from fourth to edge Foxy Seaside at the wire. Euphoria Rising, by Domethatagain out of Stirling Euphoria, has now hit the board in five of eight starts during her debut season with two wins. She owned by breeders Brent Hopper and Kyle Gray, along with Kenneth York.
Other Sunday night action on the 16-race card at Northfield included the $27,083 Open Handicap Trot with Page driving Predator And Prey to a head victory in 1:55.1 over Spaaaanzano for trainer Michael Hitchcock and the $26,389 Open Pace with Irvine driving Lake Charles to the two-length win in 1:51.4 for conditioner Paul Holzman.
The 2025 Buckeye Stallion Series continues on Tuesday with five divisions of three-year-old filly trotters at Northfield. The 16-race card begins at 6 p.m.
(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association; photo of Four Carat Rock winning on May 18)