The annual Grand Circuit meet contested at The Red Mile, which attracts the continent’s best performers in harness racing, kicked off Thursday night with three divisions of the $287,600 Bluegrass Stake for two-year-old filly trotters.
The world record of 1:52.4 set by Snow White back in 2007 was crushed in the third division of the Bluegrass, as Designed To Be watched Cooler Schooner set hot fractions and then kicked right by her in the stretch to hold off a closing Shake It Cerry in 1:52.2.
Cooler Schooner tore through panels of :27.2, :54.3 and 1:24.1 before being inhaled by Designed To Be, who stormed out of the pocket for driver Andy Miller and used a :28-second closing quarter to win by a half-length over even-money favourite Shake It Cerry. Cooler Schooner was a distant third in the rich affair.
Designed To Be ($5.80), a daughter of Donato Hanover-Sheer Soul who hangs her harness bag in the barn of trainer Julie Miller, is owned by Al Libfeld of Pickering and Marvin Katz of Toronto, ON.
“She’s been well-in-hand every race she’s had and I didn’t know she’d go this fast, but the race set up for a big mile and I hoped I was the one crossing the wire first,” driver Andy Miller said. “I just wanted to rate my own mile, not use her up so early and save a little for late. She’s a very versatile filly and we’ve been taking our time with her all along and it seems to be paying off.”
Division one of the Bluegrass action went to Struck By Lindy, who sat a pocket trip and kicked by race leader and post-time favourite Heavens Door in the stretch to win in 1:53.1.
Heavens Door left for the front and chopped out panels of :28.3, :56.1 and 1:25 before being confronted and eventually overtaken by the pocket-sitting Struck By Lindy. David Miller angled her to the outside in the lane and she roared home in a :28-second clip to win by 5-1/4 lengths over Heavens Door, with Anonyme Hanover finishing third.
Struck By Lindy ($7.80) is a two-year-old daughter of Explosive Matter-Lindy Of My Dreams. She is owned by Melvin Hartman, R A W Equine Inc. and Adam Victor and Son Stable, trained by Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman and David Miller was the driver, guiding Struck By Lindy to a lifetime mark of 1:53.1.
“She got away good and she got a great trip,” driver David Miller said. “She’s been racing well and run up against some really nice fillies. I’m glad to see her get a good mark.”
When asked about her miscue in the Merrie Annabelle, Dave Miller replied that, “She’s very nice and it was unlike her [to break] that day [the Merrie Annabelle]. She was a little worked up that day.”
Chivaree Hanover pulled off the mild upset in the second division, trotting her way to the winners’ circle in 1:56.3.
Odds-on favourite Lifetime Pursuit broke before the start, and that changed the whole complexion of the race. Cee Bee Yes fired to the front and supplied the field with an opening quarter of :28.3, but Doug McNair had Chivaree Hanover on the move out of the three-hole in the backstretch. She cleared without a tussle, and from there she proceeded to chop out middle splits of :57.1 and 1:28 before using a :28.3 kicker to win by three-quarters of a length over Cee Bee Yes. Third prize went to A Sundae On Sunday. Time for the mile was 1:56.3.
The daughter of Muscle Hill-Celebrity Nike is owned and trained by Gregg McNair of Guelph, ON. She paid $10.60.
“I was a little careful with her into the first turn and the guys in front of me were coming back a little bit, so I just moved her to the outside, let her trot past the half and she did everything from there,” driver Doug McNair said. “She’s generally relaxed, but she was really revved-up the whole way. In the post parade, she was real bad. I thought for sure a couple times in the mile she threw a few steps at me, but I figured that if she wasn’t going to run there she wasn’t going to run.”
(The Red Mile)