A dead heat between Go Jim Dandy and Seaside Star highlighted the second leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series for three-year-old colt pacers on Sunday, June 8 at MGM Northfield Park. The second leg featured five $27,397 divisions and had no repeat winners from the opening leg.
An extremely tight finish in the fifth division had Go Jim Dandy and Seaside Star win in a dead heat with House Of Brix in third as all three tripped the wire in 1:54.3 over the "good" track. Driver Kurt Sugg settled Go Jim Dandy in the pocket as My First Fire and Austin Hanners led the field through the first three calls in :28, :56.4, and 1:25.1. Seaside Star, with Aaron Merriman, was first-up going to the halfway mark as first-leg winner and 9-5 betting favourite House Of Brix was sixth in rein to Trevor Smith. House Of Brix showed some late burst in going three-wide en route to drawing even with new leader Seaside Star entering the final stretch. Go Jim Dandy made it three-wide with the leaders as they neared the finish and crossed the line with Seaside Star in a result that was too close to call.
Go Jim Dandy is a gelded son of Bit Of A Legend N out of Igotafeelinfran. He now has five wins and $77,704 in earnings in 16 lifetime starts and is co-owned by trainer Kimberly Dailey and JR Stable.
Seaside Star earned his first win in 16 lifetime starts and boosted his bankroll to $56,037. The gelded son of Downbytheseaside out of Rock N Roll Xample is trained by K. Dean Glispie for owner Always Finish Second Stable.
In the first division, Johnny Up took the wire-to-wire victory in a lifetime-best 1:52.3 as first-leg winners Woodrow Blue Chip (Dan Noble) and South Sea (Chris Page) finished second and third, respectively. Driven by Tyler Smith, Johnny Up took the lead off the gate and was ahead of the field at the :27.2 quarter and :56.3 half. The 4-5 betting favourite, Woodrow Blue Chip, went first-up heading toward the three-quarter pole but was unable to challenge down the stretch. Johnny Up hit the three-quarter mark in 1:24.3 and won by a length. Trained by Edward Miller, Johnny Up has two wins in four starts this season, increasing his lifetime earnings to $65,890. The homebred Lather Up-Johnsbadgirl gelding is owned by Allen Miller.
In the second division, Fly High Cruiser scored his first seasonal win, crossing the line in 1:54. Down Two Party (Aaron Merriman) was second followed by Believe In Tom (Marc St. Louis Jr.). Driver Dan Noble had Fly High Cruiser in fifth as the field crossed the halfway point with first-leg winner Accuracy By Volume (Chris Page) leading the way. Heading toward the three-quarter pole, Accuracy By Volume went off stride, ceding the lead to Believe In Tom. Around the final turn, Fly High Cruiser moved to the outside and passed both Down Two Party and Believe In Tom to win by almost two lengths. The homebred Yankee Cruiser-Letme Fly Low gelding has $47,789 in lifetime earnings and is co-owned by trainer Anette Lorentzon and Tony Hall.
The Ronnie Wrenn Jr.-driven Derby Up took the third division in a lifetime-best 1:54.1, edging Rodeo Jet (Chris Page) by a half-length with Whatchagonnado (Chris Lems) in third. The 9-5 betting favourite, Go Accordingly (Kayne Kauffman), led at the first two calls in :27.4 and :57. Fourth at the halfway mark, Derby Up followed cover behind Fabio Hanover (Dan Noble). With Fabio Hanover alongside eventual second-place Rodeo Jet, Derby Up made it three-wide and surged past them and Go Accordingly to lead at the 1:25.4 three-quarters. Derby Up held off a strong challenge from Rodeo Jet down the stretch for his second win of the season. The Lather Up-Hoochie Girl gelding is trained by Ryan Miller for owners Miller Racing Stable and Chris Gilbert. He has $39,301 in lifetime earnings.
Austin Hanners drove 1-9 betting favourite Twin B High Tide to his first seasonal win in the fourth division in 1:53.2. Johnny Smash (Dan Noble) was second followed by Catch The Express (Ronnie Gillespie). Catch the Express led off the gate, but Hanners drove Twin B High Tide to the lead at the :27.4 quarter. The Alicia Hanners trainee led at each of the next two calls in :56.4 and 1:25.1 en route to a three-length victory. The Buckeye Stallion Series champion as a freshman, Twin B High Tide is owned by Hanners Racing. The Downbytheseaside-Lovely Erin colt has hit the board in nine of 11 lifetime starts, recording six wins and earning $208,082.
Other Sunday night action on the 15-race card at Northfield included a pair of $27,397 Open Handicap races. In the Open Handicap Trot, Chris Lems drove Stoney Ridgetop to a win in a lifetime-best 1:53.4. The John Konesky III trainee now has 30 wins in 62 lifetime starts with $177,585 in earnings. Wrenn Jr. drove Wicked Character to victory in the Open Handicap Pace in 1:51.2. Trained by Ron Burke, Wicked Character now has 18 wins and $520,934 in earnings from 66 lifetime starts.
Wrenn Jr. and Merriman tripled up to lead all drivers in victories on Sunday. Smith and Noble recorded two wins each. Burke doubled up as the lone trainer with multiple wins on the night.
The 2025 Buckeye Stallion series continues on Monday, June 9 with five divisions of three-year-old colt trotters at Northfield. The 16-race card begins at 6 p.m.
(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association; photo of Seaside Star [#1] and Go Jim Dandy [#5] in a dead heat win)