Banana Beach rebounded from a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Sire Stakes final at Oak Grove with a narrow win off a back-half sprint of the opening preliminary for the $112,676 Kentucky Championship Series for two-year-old pacing fillies on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 4 at The Red Mile.

Leaving from post five, driver Andy McCarthy floated Banana Beach into fourth while Sweet As Silk (Todd McCarthy) pushed from an inside draw to overtake pylon-starter Lindy Believer (Yannick Gingras) to a :28.4 first quarter. The tempo remained steady up the backstretch, prompting Andy McCarthy and Banana Beach to attack up the rim and clear command just after a :57.2 half. Once on the lead, Banana Beach maintained her speed to clock three-quarters in 1:24.2 and stayed brave all through the stretch as My Taylors Swift (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) emerged from the backfield late to lunge but miss, settling for second by a neck in a 1:51.1 mile. Carly Shay (Scott Zeron) followed the winner’s brush and sustained from a first-up grind in the last turn for third.

Making her debut from the Carter Pinske stable, Banana Beach collected her third win in four career starts, pushing her earnings over $155,000 for owners Heather Sparks of Paris, Kentucky and Dr. Madonna Morrison of Lexington, Kentucky.

A filly by Pebble Beach out of Sweet Anna Banana, she went through the 2025 Lexington Selected Yearling Sales ring for $27,778.

Banana Beach paid $7.62 to win as the 5-2 second wagering choice.

The 15-race card on Tuesday also featured a pair of $42,254 Kentucky Commonwealth divisions for freshman pacing fillies with Goodwalkspoiled ($4.80), driven by Kyle Husted, posting the fastest mile of the splits and also of the day’s state-bred races, stopping the clock in 1:50. The Amy Husted-trained daughter of Pebble Beach-Play Nice sat a pocket trip behind pacesetter Sister Girl Blues (Dexter Dunn) through a quick early clip of :27.3 and :54.4 and pounced just after three-quarters in 1:23. She lunged to the front and held her ground for a three-quarter length win chased by Baby Puppy (Atlee Bender), who sat third throughout the mile before rallying for second. The filly perfect in two starts competes for the Illinois ownership of Husted Racing and John Schwarz Jr.

The first division of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series went to Haven ($5.26) with Dexter Dunn in the bike for the 1:51.1 winning mile, giving Brett Pelling one of three his training wins on the day. Pelling’s other wins from the hat trick came in two of the three $21,127 divisions of the Kentucky Golden Rod Series for two-year-old pacing fillies. Both driven by Tim Tetrick, JK Alwaysbpositive ($2.60) and Holy ($2.52) also reached the winner’s circle on the day, scoring in 1:53.3 and 1:52.2, respectively. 

The other Kentucky Golden Rod split was won by the Andrew Harris-trained Downtown Blvd ($7.30), who is a full brother to 2026 Meadowlands Pace champion Brandon Blvd. Todd McCarthy drove the 1:53.1 first-time winner.

The winners of the $13,889 Wildcat divisions were: Odds On Fearless ($6.44) in 1:53.1 for the driving and training team of Peter and Melanie Wrenn; Cello Beach ($6.40) in 1:54.3 for Tim Tetirck and John Hughes; and Odds On Momma ($2.20) in 1:52.4 for Dexter Dunn and Virgil Morgan Jr.

Tuesday's card also proved special for Peter D. Alagna of Versailles, Kentucky as he registered the first pari-mutuel driving win of his career when guiding Isotta Bi ($39.04) to a 1:56 victory in an $8,451 maiden trot late on the card. Alagna looped the three-year-old trotting filly from a pocket trip moving into the last turn and staved off odds-on favourite Caviart Queen Emma (Andy McCarthy) to win by a half length. Alagna trains and owns daughter of Gimpanzee-Divine Equine, a recent acquisition from the Marcus Melander barn. Alagna's first win in the bike came in just his 10th drive for purse money and also in his first drive since competing at the Mayfield Fairgrounds in 2025.

Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes on Wednesday, Aug. 5 with a 14-race card headlined by a Kentucky Championship Series division for two-year-old trotting fillies, carded as race five. First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m. 

(With files from The Red Mile)