A pair of stunners took centre stage from the three $135,540 divisions of the International Stallion Stakes (ISS) for two-year-old pacing colts on geldings on Saturday, Oct. 5 at The Red Mile: first with D A Love Boat shocking in a photo and last with Fallout scorching the track in a blowout win.

With fast fractions laid and a strained favourite on the lead, D A Love Boat mounted a far-turn assault on 1-9 chalk Louprint that proved a successful gambit in the final strides of the first ISS division for pacing colts.

Driver Yannick Gingras activated D A Love Boat off the wings of the gate and crossed to the top before yielding command to Strangerinthenight (driven by David Miller) as he swooped from post nine to the lead through am :27.2 first quarter. Thirsty Thursday (Matt Kakaley) then lunged out of third to challenge for the lead, at which point Louprint (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) made his move off the pegs to try for the front. All the while, D A Love Boat found himself shuffled to fourth while Louprint cleared command after a :54.1 half.

Louprint slowed the tempo slightly through the final turn, prompting Gingras to send D A Love Boat forward on the rim. D A Love Boat loomed to match strides with Louprint past three-quarters in 1:22 and engaged in a stretch-long battle that Louprint valiantly fought. Despite staying game to the pylons, Louprint failed to wade D A Love Boat’s final surge over the line to miss a nose decision to the 26-1 shot in a 1:48.4 mile. Boomerang (Dexter Dunn) gave chase off a ground-saving trip for third, another six lengths behind, and Strangerinthenight took fourth.

“To be honest, I am as surprised as anybody,” winning trainer Jack Darling said. “He’s been a nice colt, just has always had bad posts and things didn’t work out. But he sure came through today.”

Darling owns D A Love Boat (pictured above on the outside) through his Jack Darling Stables Ltd. The Captain Crunch colt collected his second win from six starts and has now earned $96,980. He paid $54.84 to win.

Metro Pace winner Fallout (Tim Tetrick) decimated his competition in the closing ISS split for pacing colts, romping to a 1:48.4 victory on a 1-9 promise.

Tetrick made his move for the lead with Fallout after a :26.4 first quarter and swooped to overtake Ayeaye Captain Deo (Andy McCarthy) midway up the backstretch. He tripped the half in :54.2 and steadily opened his advantage while speeding through the final turn to clock three-quarters in 1:21.2. Fallout’s foes floundered in the stretch as Tetrick kept his charge to task while all alone and rolling over the line a 10-1/2-length winner. Tom Horn (David Miller) grabbed second, Delray Beach (Yannick Gingras) closed from last for third and Odds On No Limit (James MacDonald) finished fourth.

“He’s a pretty cool horse, man,” Tim Tetrick said after the race. “He gets over the ground real easy, likes his work and he’s a lot of fun to sit behind. And he looks like [Captaintreacherous], feels like him and works his ears the same. He’s just like his daddy.”

Fallout, a colt by Captaintreacherous, won his fourth race from nine starts and has now earned $658,553 for owners Robert LeBlanc, Pryde Stables Inc. and Caviart Farms. Tony Alagna trains the colt who paid $2.24 to win.

After the favourite faltered in the first ISS division, American Son (Dexter Dunn) delivered as the 1-2 choice in the second ISS split, timed in 1:49.4.

Dunn nestled American Son to the pylons as TH Colby (Yannick Gingras) pushed for the lead and soon sat a pocket to Banderas (James MacDonald) through a :27.4 first quarter. Once the scramble settled, Dunn sent American Son off the pegs and to the lead before a :54.3 half and cruised through the final turn to clock three-quarters in 1:22.3. American Son drifted from the pylons as he sprinted for home and only faced a stout challenge in the last eighth from No Trespassing (Scott Zeron) springing from second over, but the public choice held firm to the finish to win by a neck. No Trespassing took second with Banderas finishing third and World Beater (Todd McCarthy) giving chase in fourth.

“I’m pretty high on this colt,” trainer Chris Ryder said. “He hasn’t won the last couple of starts, but he got there today and he’s going to have a big future.”

American Son, an American Ideal colt competing for owner Henderson Farms, collected his fourth win from seven starts and has now earned $237,659. He paid $3.18 to win.

Divisions one and three of the ISS colt pace were named “The Tall Dark Stranger” sponsored by the Tall Dark Stranger Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. The middle division was named “The Summa Cum Laude” sponsored by Midland Acres.

Sound Judgement scored a 39-1 blow on 4-5 favourite Deja Blu in the closing strides to win the second of five $92,432 International Stallion Stakes (ISS) divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies.

Driver Todd McCarthy motored Sound Judgement towards the lead and cut a :28.2 first quarter as Deja Blu (driven by Yannick Gingras) loomed to the outside and moved for the lead. Deja Blu coasted to a :56.1 half and remained under a snug hold through the final turn to clock three-quarters in 1:24.2. Sound Judgement pulled outside for the stretch drive and intensified pressure on Deja Blu as the two scurried well clear of the competition into the final eighth. Deja Blu kept fighting but grew weary in the final strides while Sound Judgement held her momentum and slid by to a head victory at the beam in 1:52. What A Bid Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) closed for third and R Charm (Scott Zeron) finished fourth after mounting a mild first-over bid in the final turn.

“She raced good from the beginning at Oak Grove,” trainer Jim Oscarsson said after the race. “She came up here, got a little sick and raced a little bad. But after we fixed her up a little bit, she trained good, so I thought she should be in the race.”

A daughter of Muscle Hill, Sound Judgement won her second race from eight starts and has now earned $93,980 for owner Blomberg Stable Inc. She paid $81.58 to win.

Champagne Problems (Dexter Dunn) gallivanted over the track as the 1-5 chalk to win the first division of the ISS filly trot in 1:53.

Leaving from the pylon post, Champagne Problems seized the lead to a :28.1 first quarter and faced nary an anxious moment through the mile. She sped up the backside to a :55.3 half and snagged a breather to three-quarters in 1:24.1 before spurting away from her competition in the stretch. Champagne Problems crossed the beam 3-1/4 lengths better than Santa Caterina (Ake Svanstedt) closing for second with Ms Prada (David Miller) rallying for third, another four lengths behind, and Royal Mission (Scott Zeron) fading off a pocket trip for fourth.

“She’s having a great season,” Dunn said after the race. “She hasn’t done much wrong this whole prep and has been putting in good performances.”

Winning her fifth race from eight starts, Champagne Problems has now banked $493,928 for owners Rojan Stables, Family Business, Patrick Hoopes and Caviart Farms. Nancy Takter trains the Tactical Landing filly who paid $2.66 to win.

R Dutchess (Jody Jamieson) made a bold brush to the lead up the backside and held strong through a swift middle half to win the third division of the ISS filly trot in 1:52.1.

Luna Lovegood (Dexter Dunn), the even-money favourite, cleared the lead moving through a :28 first quarter while Jamieson settled R Dutchess into fourth. Though the tempo quickened up the backside, Jamieson angled R Dutchess off the pegs and fired forward to take the lead just after a :55.1 half. Jamieson stayed on the pedal through the final turn to zip by three-quarters in 1:22.4 and lead the field into the attritional stretch drive. R Dutchess plodded along on the lead with challengers encroaching all around, but the filly stayed resolute to hold a head in front and stave off Luna Lovegood in second. Miss Belmear (Andy McCarthy) bolted from last to take third and Delaney Hanover (Todd McCarthy) finished evenly in fourth.

“I was a little nervous, but we trained her the other day with R Melina and they were fighting all the way down the stretch,” trainer John Butenschoen said after the race. “I thought ‘If she can fight off that little girl; we know what type of horse she is.’ I was pretty confident she was gutty and it worked out.”

Leased by M&L of Delaware LLC, R Dutchess won her third race from eight starts and has now earned $141,379. The Father Patrick filly paid $10.66 to win.

Todd McCarthy planted Aperfect Annie on the point and held firm to the finish of a 1:53 mile to win the fourth division of the ISS filly trot.

Aperfect Annie marched forward on the rim to take the lead after a :28.2 first quarter and strolled up the backside to a :56.3 half. Voguish (Andy McCarthy) pulled first over from fourth and advanced to challenge Aperfect Annie through the final turn, but folded in her bid after three-quarters in 1:25.1. Aperfect Annie stayed to task through the lane to register a simple length win over 4-5 favourite Pink Chou Chou (Yannick Gingras), who sat a pocket trip and gave futile pursuit in second. Sonmar Pond (Scott Zeron) rallied from third over for third and Divine Thing (Tim Tetrick) took fourth off a second-over trip.

“She’s been a pretty solid filly all year,” trainer Carter Pinske said after the race. “She likes The Red Mile, and when you can win on Grand Circuit week it’s always a bonus. Props to the filly; she’s a real nice filly. I was a bit worried with missing a week – we haven’t had much work into her. But she shows up every time she goes behind the car.”

A filly by Googoo Gaagaa, Aperfect Annie won her third race from eight starts and has now earned $457,815 for owners Pinske Stables, Melvin Hartman and Andray Farm. She paid $7.50 to win.

Spicy Nice (Andy McCarthy) catapulted to the lead in a soft third quarter to scoot away with ample cushion and win the closing ISS division for trotting fillies in 1:53.

Country Victory (Yannick Gingras) took the lead to a :27.3 first quarter but yielded control up the backside to even-money choice Lady Landia (Ake Svanstedt), who led the field by the half in :55.4. Lady Landia slowed through the final turn, providing Andy McCarthy the opportunity to shoot forward from fifth with Spicy Nice and recoup nearly five lengths on the move to three-quarters in 1:25.1. Spicy Nice easily rolled to the lead and away to a 3-3/4-length victory as Lady Landia tried to accelerate off the bottom corner but only held second. Caviart Ivy (Niko Karna) closed for third, another four lengths behind, and Country Victory faded to fourth.

“[The hopples] probably gave her a little bit of confidence,” Andy McCarthy said after the race. “She started the year out really well. She’s a very nice filly, I just think she’s going to make a great three-year-old.”

Nancy Takter trains Spicy Nice, a filly by Tactical Landing, for owners Morrison Racing Stables and John Fielding. The filly won her second race from eight starts and has now earned $163,933. She paid $8.24 to win.

Division one of the ISS filly trot was named “The Norman Woolworth Memorial” and division four “The Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg Memorial”, both sponsored by Arden Homestead Stable, E. T. Gerry Jr., Peter Gerry, Stoner Manor Inc., Menhammar Stuteri AB, Jorgen Jahre Jr., LST Stable, Lawrence DeVan and William DeVan. The second division was named “The Chapter Seven” sponsored by Blue Chip Farms while divisions three and five were named “The International Moni” sponsored by the International Moni Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.

Live harness racing concludes at The Red Mile on Sunday (Oct. 6) with a 12-race card capped by the feature event of the Grand Circuit meet, the $500,000 USD Kentucky Futurity. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).

RED MILE HAS $75K GUARANTEE PICK-6 OPENER ON SUNDAY

A $75,000 Guaranteed Pick-6 Pool will kick off the festivities as that 20-cent offering has a $21,470 double carryover going into the program.

In making the announcement, Vice President of Racing Operations Gabe Prewitt said, “We originally had the Pick-6 Guarantee at $10,000 but, due to the double carry-over, we made the decision to give the ‘Send-It-In-Army’ a very special going away gift with this lucrative $75,000 guaranteed pool.

“It’s just a way to say ‘thank you’ to our loyal patrons who have supported this season and enjoyed our racing — including our Sunday nights — over this past nine weeks.”

In addition to the mandatory payout on the Pick-6 opener, the stakes-laden 12-race program features several guaranteed pools and a mandatory payout on the 20 cent Super-Hi-5, featured on the $500,000 USD Kentucky Futurity.

(The Red Mile)