Thirteen trotting sophomores will square off across the pair of $20,000 USD Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) prep races — one for each sex — that serve as co-features on the Monday, June 8 harness racing program at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.

Chiquita Ba Beeman, third-place finisher in the $410,959 Oak Grove Trotting Oaks, headlines a field of six fillies to contest their prep race, carded as the first of 12 dashes on the program. The Gimpanzee-Goldavila F filly returns to the site of her fastest mile to date — her individually timed 1:54.1 performance in pursuit of Jailbird Jog in the Oaks — after breaking her maiden in 1:56.3 at Harrah's Hoosier Park on May 27. Atlee Bender drives Chiquita Ba Beeman, who has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favourite, from post one for trainer Melissa Essig and owners Russell Beeman and Charles Weaver.

The field also includes Country Glide (PP3, Melvin Schmucker, 5-1), who sprang a 25-1 upset in last year's Kentucky Championship Series final at the Red Mile, Oaks Silver Consolation winner Decreed (PP6, Marcus Miller, 5-2), a five-time winner from 11 starts and one of two Carter Pinske trainees, and Degas (PP4, Joey Putnam, 3-1), who looks to rebound after suffering broken equipment in the Oaks.

The prep for trotting colts and geldings, carded as Race 9, is led by Zephyr Kemp, who finished second to Big Ranger in the Oak Grove Trotting Derby Silver Consolation on May 16. He has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favourite. The son of Calgary Games-Southwind Adele, trained by Marcus Melander for Kemppi Stables Oy Inc., Suojalampi Stable Inc., PCW Racing LLC and Sjoeblom Racing Inc., has won three of 12 races in his career and finished third in a pair of Grade 3 events at the Red Mile last fall. Marvin Luna will drive Zephyr Kemp from post six in the field of seven.

Among the other entrants are Nofreak Volo (PP4, Marcus Miller, 6-1) and Lethal Legacy (PP7, Josert Fonseca, 9-2), who finished third and fifth, respectively, in the Derby Silver Consolation, and Onemorenkickmeout (PP5, Wyatt Avenatti, 7-2), a seven-time winner in 14 starts who rolled to a decisive 1:55 score in his sophomore debut on May 26.

The KYSS schedule for three-year-olds at Oak Grove consists of three events, to be held June 23, July 7 and July 13.

First post on Monday and Tuesday this week is 1:10 p.m. (CDT).

(Oak Grove)