After finishing runner-up in the last three preliminaries of the Kentucky Championship Series for two-year-old trotting fillies, Heart Of Secret found the winner’s circle with a pillar-to-post score in the $111,111 fourth round on Monday, Sept. 7 at The Red Mile, stopping the clock in 1:53.2.

Leaving from the outermost post in the field scratched to nine, driver Joe Bongiorno sent Heart Of Secret forward and planted her onto the lead over 4-5 favourite Redice (Atlee Bender) through the first quarter in :29.2. Bongiorno then let Heart Of Secret roll in the second quarter to up the tempo towards a :56.3 half, where Fleur Delacour (Mattias Melander) tipped out of fourth to lead the outer tier to the last turn.

Heart Of Secret snagged a minor breather to three-quarters in 1:24.3 as Fleur Delacour loomed up the leader’s neck but then struggled to surge by once spinning for home. Bongiorno called upon Heart Of Secret in the lane, and the Petter Engblom trainee responded to keep Fleur Delacour at bay to the beam by three-quarters of a length. Redice angled to the three-wide path and gave chase in third.

A filly by Gimpanzee-House Music Fr, Heart Of Secret competes for owners Follow Me Stable LLC and Engblom Farm LLC. She collected her third victory from six starts and has now banked $223,418 in earnings. Sent off as the second choice in the betting, she paid $6.60 to win.

Sabia (Mattias Melander) posted the fastest win from the pair of $41,667 Kentucky Commonwealth Series divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies with a first-up effort through the last turn to down leader Diana Hanover (Peter Wrenn) by a neck in 1:54.4. These Days (Josert Fonseca) finished third. Marcus Melander conditions the victorious Gimpanzee-Bellareina Dolce filly for owner S R F Stable. She paid $2.90 to win.

Petter Engblom pupil Hanna Hill cleared to command past the quarter and strolled to a length win with a 1:55 mile in the other Kentucky Commonwealth division. A Tale Of Kemp (Marvin Luna) held second, followed by Esther Rod (Joey Putnam) The winning Tom Hill homebred, by Gimpanzee out of stakes-winning mare Caprice Hill, paid $4.04 to win.

Monday’s card also featured three $20,833 Kentucky Golden Rod Series divisions for freshman trotting fillies, which were won by Your Grace (Marvin Luna, 1:55.4; $2.30), Two To The North (David Miller, 1:55.3; $4.74) and Mine Mine Mine (Mattias Melander, 1:54.4; $6.32).

The four $13,889 Kentucky Wildcat Series divisions for two-year-old filly trotters went to Aviva Station (Niko Karna, 1:56.1; $5.40), Luna Rossa Bi (Joe Bongiorno, 1:56; $10.30), Hardys Dream (Marvin Luna, 1:57.4; $3.98) and Mocha Kiss (Tyler Miller, 1:56.1; $22.06).

Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes on Tuesday with a 10-race card headlined by the $80,000 USD Kentucky Championship Series fourth preliminary for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings, carded as Race 6, with Meadowlands Pace champ Brandon Blvd coming into town as the 6-5 morning-line favourite. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).

(The Red Mile)