Todd McCarthy circled Women Layer to the top and muscled through a quick mile to score easily again in his $69,444 division for the second preliminary of Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Monday afternoon, April 28.

Leaving from post two, McCarthy moved for the lead after brother Andy McCarthy cleared command with Better Is Nice to a :26.1 first quarter. Women Layer took over control passing the stands and sailed through the remainder of the mile, clocking a :54.3 half and 1:22.3 three-quarters before sealing the win by 1-1/2 lengths under wraps in 1:50. Better Is Nice held second while Nuclear (David Miller) rallied for third and Courtship (Marcus Miller) settled for fourth.

A four-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou, Women Layer has now won 14 times from 23 starts and has earned $592,329. Virgil Morgan Jr. trains the gelding for owners Let It Ride Stables Inc., Douglas Overhiser, Jeff Fought Racing and Larry Wills. He paid $2.56 to win.

Steely Knife and Trace Tetrick pulled a 10-1 upset in the other KYSS division when capitalizing off fast fractions to surge forward for a 1:51.1 win. Tetrick waited while Swaggy Cal (Jeremy Indof) cut a swift mile of :26.4, :55.1 and 1:22.4 before hitting the ropes with rivals swarming. Total Stranger (Todd McCarthy) led the two-wide charge to the final turn, and Steely Knife used his tow to launch three high coming around the final turn and build momentum for the stretch drive. Steely Knife kept fighting down the center of the track and reeled in Swaggy Cal to post a neck win at the beam with Copperfield (Andy McCarthy) rallying from last for third. Lou Hill (Dexter Dunn), the 4-5 favourite, sat a pocket trip and only found room late to finish fourth.

Ron Burke trains Steely Knife, a gelding by Always B Miki, for owners Burke Racing Stable, Knox Services, Phil Collura, J & T Silva Stables and Purnel & Libby. He won his seventh race from 38 starts and has now earned $429,503. Steely Knife paid $22.86 to win.

Woman Of Passion (Todd McCarthy) rebounded from a neck defeat in leg one to post a romp in leg two with a 1:53 mile. McCarthy took command with the 1-2 chalk and cut a tempo of :27, :57.2 and 1:25 while many of her rivals either broke stride or gave futile chase to her seven-length win. Pizelle (David Miller) picked up pieces from a ground-saving trip for second while Pisco Sour (Andy McCarthy) took third from a parked mile and Black Button (Marcus Miller) closed for fourth.

Winning her 12th race from 26 starts, Woman Of Passion has now earned $498,727 for owner/breeder Al Libfeld. Carter Pinske trains the Walner mare, who paid $3.08 to win.

Bath Bomb, driven by Andy McCarthy, registered a repeat win in KYSS preliminaries with a 1:50.1 win on the engine. After clearing from post seven through a :26 first quarter, Bath Bomb grabbed a breather to a :55.1 half but accelerated for the backside as 1-2 favourite Asweetbeachhere (Todd McCarthy) followed intently from the pocket. Asweetbeachhere took an early shot at Bath Bomb moving to three-quarters in 1:22.1 and kept fighting while Peace Talks (Dexter Dunn) loomed three-wide behind the duelling pair. Bath Bomb held her ground all through the stretch to keep a neck up on Asweetbeachhere at the end with Peace Talks taking third and Fearless Bettor (David Miller) finishing another five lengths behind in fourth.

Per Engblom trains Bath Bomb, a daughter of Lather Up with six wins from 18 starts and $233,390 earned on her card, for owner Morrison Racing Stables. She paid $8.10 to win.

Convoy Hall, with David Miller in the bike, kicked from a second-over trip to win the $69,444 KYSS dash for trotting horses and geldings with a 1:54.1 effort. Miller found cover to follow from odds-on chalk Bargain (Dexter Dunn) moving to a :55.4 half and stayed perched while inching forward towards tempo-setter Ways N Means (Andy McCarthy) on the march to three-quarters in 1:24.4. As Ways N Means tired on the top, Miller launched Convoy Hall three-wide and powered by his peers in the stretch to register a three-length win in the end over Bargain. Hung Over (Marvin Luna) kicked from a pocket trip late for third and Ways N Means held fourth.

Carter Pinske trains Convoy Hall, a gelding by Muscle Mass, for owners Doug McIntosh, Randy Liepa and Beverley Snobelen. He has won eight races from 11 starts and has now earned $197,333. Convoy Hall paid $7.66 to win.

Dandys Mercy, driven by Marcus Miller, wired her rivals to open the Monday card in the $45,833 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace. Miller cut a clip of :27, :56.4 and 1:24.2 before wrapping the mile in 1:52 with a 1-1/2-length win under minimal encouragement. Yankee B Something (Tony Hall) chased from a pocket trip for second with JKs Shining Star (Marvin Luna) saving ground for third and No Foolin April (Dexter Dunn) faltering from a first-over push for fourth.

John Butenschoen trains Dandys Mercy, a four-year-old mare by Captain Crunch, for owners Hart Walker, Dandy Farms Racing, FT Racing Stable and Douglas Overhiser. She won her 11th race from 25 starts and has now earned $367,080. Dandys Mercy paid $4.30 to win.

Racing continues at Oak Grove on Tuesday with a 13-race card headlined by the $33,000 USD Open Trot in Race 10. Tuesday's card also features a carryover in the Pick 4, covering races eight through 11, worth $1,682.02 USD. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:45 p.m. (CDT).

(Oak Grove)