The Red Mile hosted qualifying races at noon today after an hour postponement while the track recovered from last night’s deluge. By then it was dry and kinda fast, maybe a little dull with moderate temperatures and no wind.
Opening the eight race card were two-year-old trotters. Tactical Landing was a 1:56 winner for driver Charlie Norris. The big colt took over at the three-eighths, cruised past the half in :58.3 then opened up a long lead which he carried to the wire, trotting home in :28. He’s the pride of the Tactical Landing Stable who gave a king’s ransom of $800,000 for the full brother to champion filly Mission Brief last fall at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and turned him over to Bob Stewart to train. Prince William was up on the wire to be second.
Jimmy Takter drove the A Rocknroll Dance homebred freshman colt Caviart Sundance to a 1:56.2 win for his daughter Nancy Johansson and owner Caviart Farms.
Takter came right back to win the third race with Quantum Kemp, the Muscle Hill-Emilie Cas El brother to Hambletonian winner Trixton, among other stars. The pair went along on an easy lead through the :58.2 half and 1:28.3 three-quarters and finished under his own power in 1:57.2. Brixton Medical, John Fielding, Joyce McClelland and Herb Liverman own Quantum Kemp, a $200,000 Lexington yearling buy. Nala AS was second.
Odds On Stephanie, the two-year-old full sister to Captaintreacherous was a 1:57.3 winner with trainer Tony Alagna doing the driving. The pair scooted home in :28.1 after setting all the fractions Badlilvelocity was a second. Odds On Stephanie was a $230,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase by Dana Parham and races under his alias of Odds On Racing.
Lagerfeld made his first appearance of the season here at The Red Mile today and the 2016 Hambletonian finalist came home a 1:56 winner, trotting home in :27.2 for Takter. The career winner of over $666,000 looked sharp after having been away for nine months. Fusion Man was second and Signal Hill a closing third.
Alagna qualified a nice pair of unraced three-year-olds in the last two races.
First up was a trotting filly named Chardonnay Hill who was an easy winner in 1:58.3. She’s a Muscle Massive from Fortune Dream who was making her lifetime debut for owner Tom Hill.
In the very next race it was Americam Nation, an American Ideal colt from Docdor Cameo who was a closing third into a :27.2 final quarter of a 1:55.2 mile won by 2015 Kentucky Sires Stake final winner Tail Gunner Hall. Brittany Farms, Deo Volente Farms, In The Gym Partners and Americam Art Stable have been waiting on this guy and he’s finally there.
Live racing returns on Saturday with the KYSS 2-year-old pacers starting at 7:00 p.m.
(The Red Mile)