Meadowlands Pace champ Brandon Blvd held himself firmly atop the three-year-old pacing colt and gelding division when shipping to town and scoring a 1:48 victory in the $111,111 final leg of the Kentucky Championship Series for his cohort on Tuesday (Sept. 8) at The Red Mile.

Leaving from post three, driver Dexter Dunn sent Brandon Blvd for the lead to a :26.3 first quarter and cleared Funky Buddha (driven by Tim Tetrick) with pylon-starter Sea Bistro Hanover shuffled to third. Brandon Blvd strode unfazed up the backstretch to a :54.2 half and continued to cruise through the last turn while Ubrute (Yannick Gingras) attempted to gain ground with a first-over bid. Funky Buddha gradually peeled from the pocket to attack Brandon Blvd to three-quarters in 1:22.1 but levelled off as the Andrew Harris trainee sprinted for home. Sea Bistro Hanover pushed up the inside and kept digging into Brandon Blvd through the tight seam in the final eighth, but Brandon Blvd fended him off for a half-length win. Ubrute gave chase in third and Funky Buddha settled for fourth.

A colt by Downbytheseaside-Alexis Faith, Brandon Blvd collected his seventh win from 10 starts this season and his 14th victory from 20 starts in his career, amassing $1,842,313 for owner Punisher 11 Stable LLC of Freehold, NJ. He paid $2.88 to win.

Toby Ornot Toby (Tim Tetrick) vaulted from a second-over trip off fast fractions to clinch the lone $41,667 Kentucky Commonwealth Series dash for pacing glamour boys in a 1:49 mile. 

Parked the mile, Tetrick perched onto cover from Downbythelakeside (David Miller) to a :53.3 half cut by 6-5 favourite Door Dash (Andy McCarthy), who retreated after clocking three-quarters in 1:21. Toby Ornot Toby then stormed to the lead while holding off rallying Thiago Hanover (Yannick Gingras) by a neck. Scott Di Domenico trains the victorious gelding, by Tall Dark Stranger-Mackie Hanover, for owners Oompa’s Farm Inc of Creamridge, NJ, and Joseph Barbera of Melville, NY. He paid $12.58 to win.

A trio of $20,833 Kentucky Golden Rod Series divisions also went postward on Tuesday for the three-year-old pacing males. L B I (Andy McCarthy, 1:49.2 winning mile; $9.06) took top honors with the quickest win of the three divisions after pouncing from the pocket to win by 1-1/4 lengths over pacesetter Stingman (Yannick Gingras). Gunmetal (Todd McCarthy, 1:50.1; $6.82) and Be Sting (Andy McCarthy, 1:50.1; $3.54) took the other divisions.

Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes on Wednesday (Sept. 9) with a 10-race card headlined by the $80,000 USD Kentucky Championship Series fourth preliminary for three-year-old trotting fillies, a race that features Hambletonian Oaks champ Nezuko Kamado S. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).

(With files from The Red Mile)