North America Cup champ Its My Show made a successful four-year-old debut in one of seven $68,493 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) splits on a betting record-breaking Monday, May 6 at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.
Sent off as the 1-2 favourite in his division, Scott Zeron sent Its My Show from post six to the point through a :26.3 first quarter and snagged a breather to a :56 half before encountering a fierce first-over challenge from Blue Lou (Yannick Gingras). Blue Lou pressed Its My Show to three-quarters in 1:23.4 and persistently pestered the pacesetter into the straightaway to no avail. Its My Show turned for home and then kept a head up on Blue Lou to snatch the win in 1:50.2 with Combustion (Todd McCarthy) third and Bamboozler (Tony Hall) fourth.
Its My Show has now won 10 times from 25 starts, earning $1,297,462 for owners Richard and Joanne Young. Linda Toscano trains the four-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou who paid $3.06 to win.
Admiral Hill (Yannick Gingras) delivered as the chalk in the other division for pacing horses and geldings with a near pillar-to-post win in 1:51.3. Gingras floated Admiral Hill forward and grabbed the lead by a :26.4 quarter and coasted through the remainder. Clocking a :55 half and 1:23.1 three-quarters, Gingras cued Admiral Hill to sprint for home and easily rebuffed the pocket pop from El Rey (David Miller) to win by three-quarter lengths with Tip Top Cat (Dexter Dunn) third and Cant Stop Lou (Scott Zeron) fourth.
A four-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou, Admiral Hill has now won 12 times from 29 tries and earned $370,140. Per Engblom trains the $4.94 winner for owner Morrison Racing Stables.
Bestfriend Volo (Dexter Dunn) made a strong Oak Grove debut in the second of two splits for the trotting horses and geldings with a 1:52.3 front-stepping win. Dunn swooped to the lead past a :27.1 first quarter and rolled to a :56 half before facing a blitz from Sparks Fly (Atlee Bender) to three-quarters in 1:24.2. Sparks Fly near last-to-front attack proved taxing through the final turn, which left Bestfriend Volo to stride in a measured winner by three-quarter lengths. French Wine (Andy Miller), off a pocket ride, zipped up for second while Sparks Fly levelled off into third and The Hazelton (Yannick Gingras) took fourth.
Nancy Takter trains and co-owns Bestfriend Volo, a gelding by Walner, with Christina Takter, 3 Brothers Stables and Deja Blu. He paid $4.76 to win.
Once In A Lifetime (Todd McCarthy) took the second male trot under wraps in 1:55.1. McCarthy placed the 2-5 favourite on the lead from the pylon post through a :27.3 first quarter and trotted unfazed through a :57.4 half and 1:27.1 three-quarters in progress to a 1:55.1 win over pocket-sitter Morning Edition (Atlee Bender). Ahadi As (Tony Hall) tucked inside and closed through a seam to take third from The Fast Lane (Andy McCarthy) finishing down the center of the track for fourth.
Sad Frog Farms owns Once In A Lifetime, a gelding by Father Patrick who has now won 11 times from 25 starts and banked $484,829. Jim Campbell trains the $2.72 winner.
Show Me A Million (Lewayne Miller) pulled an upset in the opening male trot split when winning as the second-longest shot on the board in 1:55.1. Miller moved first over with his charge after sitting third through splits of :28.2 and :58 to draw onto closer terms with leader Country Dagger (Andy McCarthy) by three-quarters in 1:26.2. Show Me A Million kept chugging through the straightaway and downed Country Dagger at the beam by a head while Prince Of Honor (Todd McCarthy) flew from last for third and Djimon (David Miller) took fourth from 1-2 favourite Ari Ferrari J (Dexter Dunn), who broke stride in the stretch.
Winning his sixth race from 25 starts, Show Me A Million has now earned $165,699. Susan Miller trains the Dover Dan stallion for owners L & S Racing, Fred Wittmer, George Kucik Jr. and Joni Beechy. He paid $17 to win.
Mambacita (Dexter Dunn) again rolled on the lead to deliver as the 1-5 choice in the lone division for trotting mares. Dunn seized the helm to a :28.1 first quarter and grabbed a breather to a :57.2 half, which readied her for the attack from Railee Something (Andy McCarthy) up the backside. Railee Something loomed to Mambacita's throat past three-quarters in 1:25.3 but tired into the stretch to leave Mambacita on a 2-1/4-length lead by the beam, a win in 1:54.3. Cessna Pride (Todd McCarthy) took third and Muscling Vegas (David Miller) finished fourth.
Tony Alagna trains Mambacita, a four-year-old mare by Tactical Landing, for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Alagna Racing LLC and Pryde Stables Inc. She won her 13th race from 33 starts and added to a bankroll now worth $880,082 while paying $2.56 to win.
Keep My Secret (Tony Hall) landed a 9-1 upset in the last KYSS split of the day, the single dash for pacing mares, with a 1:51 power effort on the point. Hall launched for the lead to a :26.4 first quarter and stole a breather to the half in :56.4. From there, she endured a first-over push from Always B Naughty (Andy McCarthy) to three-quarters in 1:23.4 and stayed under wraps into the straightaway, where Hall gave her a few taps of the whip as she confidently coasted in a winner by three-quarters of a length over pocket-sitter Hungry For Love (Scott Zeron). Always B Naughty settled for third and 6-5 favourite Strong Poison (Yannick Gingras), off a second-over trip, settled for fourth.
A homebred Captaintreacherous mare for Dr. Fred Kruszelnicki, Keep My Secret has now won nine races from 26 starts and earned $172,706. Anette Lorentzon trains the $20.16 winner.
Despite a track maintenance delay that pushed post time 80 minutes back, Oak Grove crushed its single-card betting record with its 13-race card lasting until Monday's dusk. Oak Grove handled $522,939.11 USD, besting the previous record set last May of $419,168 USD.
Ayr Pioneer GB teamed up with driver/trainer Tony Dinges to put the icing on a record day of harness racing at Oak Grove, winning a $16,438 United States Harness Driving Club race. With the sunset less than two minutes away, Dinges took Dein Spriggs’ pacer Ayr Pioneer GB around the Oak Grove oval in 1:55.3 to win a tight photo in a “bang-bang” finish.
The nine-year-old English-bred Soulofthematter gelding led at every call by taking command from his six post just before the :27.3 opener and withstanding a fierce challenge from the pocket-sitting Shes A Live Wire (Peter Kleinhans) the final five-sixteenths of the journey to score by a head off subsequent panels of :57.1 and 1:26 with the wire coming “just at the right time!” Stun Gun (Shae Vandervort) was third, just a length away after closing fastest of all, with favourite Shes A Fireball (Cassidy Whitton) next.
“He had been a tough luck horse since arriving at Oak Grove and Tony was trying different strategies," said Spriggs of the pacer who earned his first win of the season from 10 starts. "Sometimes a horse gets live cover… sometimes he has to go first up… sometimes he draws a bad post and is too far back. So, Tony decided on yet another strategy and it worked out this time. The wire came just at the right time.”
The winner rewarded his faithful with a $39.50 dividend for their $2 investment.
Live harness racing resumes at Oak Grove on Tuesday, May 7 at 3 p.m. (CDT) with a plethora of carryovers on offer. The 20-cent Early Pick 5, starting in Race 1, features a carryover of $4,207.79; the $1 Early Pick 4, starting in Race 3, features a carryover of $1,309.58; the $1 Late Pick 4, starting in Race 9, features a carryover of $1,630.58; and the 20-cent Super High 5, offered in Race 12, features a carryover of $1,003.29.
(With files from Oak Grove Racing and USHDC)