On yet another evening with extreme temperatures, Setyoursightshigh brought plenty of heat of her own to The Red Mile’s 15-race card on Wednesday, July 30. The evening’s events focused on freshman filly trotters and they did not disappoint in first legs of the Kentucky Championship Series, Commonwealth, Golden Rod and Wildcat.

In the $109,589 lone division of the Kentucky Championship Series, Setyoursightshigh bested 10 rivals while lowering her mark to 1:53.1, serving notice she is a force to be reckoned with for trainer Marcus Melander.

Driven by Jason Bartlett, the daughter of In Range-Special Interest was saddled with post position nine after Country Glide (post position one) was scratched sick. Setyoursightshigh was in eighth as her stablemate, Ygritte (Mattias Melander), set the first split of :28. Setyoursightshigh advanced with cover to sixth as Jailbird Jog (Tim Tetrick) wrested control to the half in :56.1. By the three-quarter pole, Avenzee (Todd McCarthy) decided it was her time to go to the front and trotted past that third marker in 1:25.4 with Setyoursightshigh moving into third.

As the fillies made their final drive to the finish line, favoured Madam Cheval (Yannick Gingras) took her turn on the lead but Setsyoursighthigh rallied by. As Madam Cheval retreated, Carve (Andrew McCarthy) came on for second with Victorianas Secret (Scott Zeron) closing from last in the early stages to be third.

Bred by Kentuckiana Farms, Setyoursightshigh is a half sibling to the $300,000-earning Swan For All gelding Saywhatimthinkin and was a $67,568 yearling purchase from the 2024 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchased by the locally based Heights Stable and partners Mantorp of Greenwich, Connecticut, Amg Stable of Delray Beach, Florida and K Kjellgren Livs Ab of Bordentown, New Jersey. 

Setyoursightshigh improved her record to 4-3-1-0 and boosted her bankroll to $238,338.

She paid $9.68 to win as the third betting choice.

Bartlett teamed up with trainer Tony Alagna to win one of four $41,095 Kentucky Commonwealth Series divisions with heavy favourite Rani Hanover. The daughter of Walner and 2020 Hambletonian victress Ramona Hill collected her first victory in her debut. Creator (Dexter Dunn) was a neck behind her in second with Numanthia (Nicholas Roussel) in third.

Leaving from post position three in the field of nine, Rani Hanover and her driver were positioned in third as Giggity Goo (David Miller) set the tone with a :29.3 first split. Giggity Goo enjoyed her position on top as she continued to lead the field with fractions of :59 and 1:27.4. As Creator advanced from fifth entering the lane, Rani Hanover was briefly in fourth, but snatched the lead from the tiring pacesetter to launch her own assault to the finish line, prevailing in 1:55.2.

Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms and Crawford Farms Racing, Rani Hanover is owned by Kenneth Jacobs of Baldwinsville, New York. The first foal out of Ramona Hill, the filly was a record-setting $1.25 million yearling purchase at the 2024 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. 

Breaking her maiden in her debut, Rani Hanover paid $3.24 to those who supported her.

The Melander-trained Lainey W won the quickest division of the Commonwealth in 1:54.3. Driven by Scott Zeron, the daughter of Bar Hopping-The Black Beauty was on top through splits of :29.4, :58.4 and 1:27.3 and won by 1-1/2 lengths. Zaheera (Andy McCarthy) was second and Degas (Anthony MacDonald) was third.

The filly broke her maiden in her third attempt and is now 3-1-1-0. 

Lainey W was bred by Kentuckiana Farms and Perry Soderberg. She was purchased for $168,919 at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale by Brittany Farms of Versailles, Kentucky in conjunction with Marvin And Lynn Katz of Toronto, Ont. 

Lainey W paid $7.02 to win.

Heart For Two took her Commonwealth division in 1:55.1 with Todd McCarthy driving for trainer Andrew Harris. Isotta Bi (Dexter Dunn) was the runner-up with The Ice Princess (Tim Tetrick) completing the trifecta. 

Bred by Louis Baudron, Heart For Two is a daughter of Gimpanzee out of House Music FR. T

he filly broke her maiden in her second trip to the gate for trainer Andrew Harris, who co-owns the $243,243 Lexington yearling acquisition with William Pollock and Bruce Areman of Freehold, New Jersey. 

Heart For Two paid $14.34 to win at odds of 6-1.

Alagna doubled up in the Commonwealth with Opulence winning in 1:56 over Zina Kemp (Dexter Dunn) and Pub Party (Tim Tetrick). Andy McCarthy drove the Walner-Evident Beauty filly, who won for the first time in her fourth start. 

A $405,405 Lexington yearling purchase, Opulence is owned by Princess Dayna Stables of St John, Indiana. She was bred by Melvin Hartman, Little E, Steve Stewart and Maumee River Stables.

Opulence paid $8.40 to win.

Trainer Carter Pinske had two successful fillies in the evening's stakes action with David Miller driving Meme Queen to a 1:57.1 victory in a $20,548 division of the Golden Rod and Cindy Lou Who Deo to a 1:56.1 triumph in $13,699 Wildcat event.

Trainer Chris Ryder sent out a pair of Golden Rod winners, All Fancy Like in 1:55.1 and Guinevere in 1:55.4, with Dexter Dunn driving both fillies. The other Golden Rod winner was the Per Engblom-trained Kerstin and Yannick Gingras in 1:55.3.

Dunn also drove Shes Moni to a 1:57.3 triumph for conditioner Nancy Takter in a Wildcat split. Trained by Bob Stewart, Calgary Sun won her division in 1:57.2 with Andy McCarthy between the wheels.

(With files from The Red Mile)