Jamie Sullivan trainee Mikis Big Bang ground forward from off the speed to tackle strung-out leader Midnight Drive and clinch the win in the $85,714 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) "A" division for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Monday afternoon (July 6) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.

Tricky Hill (driven by Andy McCarthy) fired from Post 4 to the top with Ballarddrgoldfngr (Archie Buford) pushing forward along with pylon-starter Declamation (Yannick Gingras) to a :26.3 first quarter. Midnight Drive (Dexter Dunn) floated from Post 8 to the middle of the pack with no vacancies at the pylons, forcing Dunn to send his charge after the lead. Dunn cleared command just passing a :55.1 half, at which point Mikis Big Bang (Tim Tetrick) tipped off the pylons from fifth and steadily advanced up the rim towards his stablemate. The two locked into battle off three-quarters in 1:23.4 and stayed neck and neck until the final yards, where Mikis Big Bang lunged forward and grabbed victory by a half length in 1:52.3. Midnight Drive settled for second with Im Toohot For You (Marcus Miller) rallying from second over for third and Blazin Lou (Atlee Bender) closing from third over for fourth.

A colt by Always B Miki-Shebang N, Mikis Big Bang competes for owner James Fleming of Greenwood, DE. He now has one win and one second in two outings, earning $56,942, and returned $16.72 to win.

Banana Beach (Ronnie Gillespie) maintained supremacy over her cohort with a comfortable 1:52.4 stroll on the lead in the $85,714 KYSS "A" division for two-year-old pacing fillies. Gillespie worked his filly by Pebble Beach-Sweet Anna Banana to the top out of Post 7 through a :27.1 first quarter to pocket pylon-starter Lindy Believer (Yannick Gingras), who then followed Gillespie's helmet keenly to a :56.2 half and 1:25 three-quarters. Banana Beach spun off the bottom corner and quickened with just a light tap of the whip to put away Lindy Believer by a length while Baby Puppy (Marcus Miller) gave chase for third and Jk Alwaysbpositive (Tim Tetrick) took fourth.

Ronnie Gillespie trains Banana Beach, a two-time winner with $71,026 banked, for owners Heather Sparks of Paris, KY, and Dr. Madonna Morrison of Lexington, KY. She paid $2.94 to win.

A total of five $57,143 KYSS "B" divisions were contested on the 15-race card. In the filly dashes, Sweet As Silk (Todd McCarthy, 1:54.3 winning mile; $4.36 to win) and Dame Frances (Atlee Bender, 1:52.2; $2.90) notched front-stepping wins while Bluebird Beach (Todd McCarthy, 1:54.2; $3.18), Fenway Station (Atlee Bender, 1:54.4; $23.10) and Lone Cypress (Todd McCarthy, 1:53; $4.42) won in the colt and gelding splits.

The 15-race card on Monday also featured a pair of $52,857 Open pacing events. Muskateer Hanover (Tim Tetrick, 1:49.3; $7.68) went pillar to post to best 1-5 favourite Captain Arturovico (Dexter Dunn) in the Open Pace while Bonitas Best Bet (Dexter Dunn, 1:51.1; $5.62) persevered first over to overhaul pacesetter Aintnothingucando (Yannick Gingras) to win the Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace over second-up Lyin Eyes. 

Wayne Oke trains Muskateer Hanover, a six-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou-Marinade Hanover, for owner Calcutta Stable LLC of Rehoboth Beach, De, while Ron Burke conditions Bonitas Best Bet, a five-year-old mare by All Bets Off-Bonita Beach, for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, PA, Frank Baldachino of Harvey Cedars, NJ, Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, PA, and J & T Silva and Purnel & Libby of Ocean Ridge, FL.

Live racing at Oak Grove resumes with a 17-race card loaded with KYSS action for "Tuesday at the Trots" (July 7). Tuesday's card also features a $989.23 USD carryover in the $1 Pick 5, which begins in Race 9 and has a 15 percent takeout. First-race post time is 10:55 a.m. (CDT).

(With files from Oak Grove; Photo of Mikis Big Bang)