The Kentucky Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacers will get underway this Saturday (August 19) at the Red Mile, as a pair of $30,000 opening-leg divisions have been drawn for both sexes.
The pacing colts will be up first in Race 4 and Grand Teton will be looking to continue his perfect record. The Diamond Creek homebred is a half-brother to their great filly, Pure Country. Grand Teton, who is by first-crop sire A Rocknroll Dance, has won three minor stakes in as many starts for trainer Jimmy Takter and driver Brett Miller and has flashed high speed in each. Grand Teton will start from Post 3 on Saturday.
Takter will send another top contender out in the second colt division (Race 6) in the brilliantly fast Somebeachsomewhere colt Decoy. Despite being winless in his two starts, Decoy faced top company in both races and sprinted home in a withering :25.1 his most recent start at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Brett Miller will drive Decoy from Post 6 for owners Brixton Medical, RAW Equine and Joe Sbrocco.
With horses coming in from such a variety of state-bred programs it really makes for some very interesting match-ups. The first filly division (Race 5) includes representatives from no fewer than five regional programs.
Worldofrockzee, who is set to start from the rail, has been the scourge of the KY Fair scene with four wins, including the final for trainer Jack Gray. She’s a homebred that has been raised and raced by Stanley Wildharber of Barlow, KY. Top local pilot Randy Crisler will perform the driving duties Saturday.
A pair of fast fillies will start to the outside of Worldofrockzee. Lets Fall In Love, who is a New York-sired daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven, will start from Post 8. Lets Fall In Love was plucked from the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for $150,000 by William Donovan. Lets Fall In Love , who is trained by the Ron Burke stable, recently won a NYSS race at Tioga Downs in 1:53.1. She will have Dave Palone in her sulky on Saturday.
Set to start from the outermost Post 9 is the Lindy Farms homebred Belle, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere that will be making her pari-mutuel debut. Belle was a winner of both of her schooling races – by the narrowest of margins – in 1:57.3 at Vernon Downs. Those miles were followed by a devastating 28-length romp at the Red Mile one week ago. Domenico Cecere, who is the assistant trainer to Frank Antonacci, drove her in both qualifiers, while another assistant, Patrizio Ancora, will drive the filly on Saturday.
The seventh race features the undisputed queen of the New Jersey Sire Stakes in Hurrikane Empress, who swept both legs and the final of that program in July for trainer John McDermott. She’s a homebred that races for the interests of Jonathan Klee Racing, Kuhn Racing and Pegasis Investments. Brett Miller has been named to drive from Post 7.
The pacers will spend three preliminary legs vying for one of ten positions in the September 17 $250,000 finals for each division.
Saturday is also the night for the highly anticipated ‘Second Annual Wiener Dog Races,’ which has grown to five divisions and includes a ‘Running Of The Bull…dogs’ heat this year.
Post time for the card is 7:00 p.m.
(Red Mile)