Northfield: Buckeye Stallion Series champions crowned

Saturday night's program at MGM Northfield Park was headlined by this year's $75,000 Buckeye Stallion Series Championships for 2- and 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits.

Driver Luke Hanners and trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. won both the 2-year-old filly pace with Jamie Amanda and the 3-year-old filly trot with Travel Nurse. Jamie Amanda, a daughter of Downbytheseaside who paid $16.20 to win and is co-owned by Morgan Jr., went three-wide from second-over before three-quarters and posted a 1:54 4/5 win for co-owners Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Odds On Racing, while Travel Nurse, an Enterprise homebred for Dick and Joyce McClelland, held sway on the lead to prevail in 1:56 3/5. She returned $4.20 to win and was the 1,000th victory for Hanners in the bike.

Pocket trips worked out for Smoke One For Me (1:56 4/5) in the 3-year-old colt and gelding trot and Readi Two (1:59 3/5) in the 2-year-old filly trot. Smoke One For Me, a Long Tom gelding piloted by Dan Noble for trainer Christi Noble and owner/breeder Norman Rae Racing LLC., paid $3.20 to win, while Readi Two, a daughter of Ready For Moni bred by Myron Yoder, returned $5.80 to win and was driven by trainer Sandy Beatty for owner Robert Sharrits.

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Long Tom is also the sire of 2-year-old male trot champion Tom Largo, who dominated on the front-end in a 1:57 1/5 triumph for Chris Page and Scott Cox. Bred by Midland Acres, Tom Largo paid $2.20 to win and is owned by Jughead Stables LLC., G. Peters and Robert Kubiak. Downbytheseaside also had another winner in Heerz Corinthian, who posted a 1:55 4/5 triumph from first-over in the rookie male pace. Cam McCown drove Heerz Corinthian, a Bernard Grendon-bred, for trainer Jessica McCown and owners Heerzthestock Inc., Tripoli Stable and Susan Sullivan. He returned $8 to win.

Unique Catch, by Catch The Fire and bred by Henry Burkholder, would rally from off cover to capture the 3-year-old male pace in 1:53 4/5 for Aaron Merriman, co-owner/trainer Daren Harvey and co-owners Wayne Mast Jr., Eden Acres Farmstead LLC. and Steven Miller, and trainer Scott Betts swept the exacta in the 3-year-old filly pace after Our Honor Defend and driver Case Bateson rallied by stablemate Anna Loves Bananas (Merriman) to score by a nose in 1:54 2/5. Bred by the Ohio State Ati program, Our Honor Defend is by Lost In Time and is co-owned by Betts in partnership with DRF Harness contributor Keith Gisser and Kerry McCullough. Unique Catch paid $22 and Our Honor Defend returned $51.40 to win.