Marcus Melander trainee Command Center, a Gimpanzee half brother to 2026 Hambletonian champion Apex, aims to get back on track when he starts as the 9-5 morning line chalk in the second of four $91,000 USD divisions of the Bluegrass Stakes for two-year-old trotting males on opening day of the Grand Circuit meeting at The Red Mile this Thursday, Oct. 1.

Command Center resurfaces off an eighth-place finish in the $563,380 Kentucky Championship Series final on Sept. 20 when he bobbled off stride when pushing for the lead past the quarter. The colt made a similar break on debut when reaching for the finish before rolling into a gallop to finish second-placed-third before scoring his first victory in the following start.

“It was more of a mistake break in the final – he knuckled over and it wasn’t his fault,” said Melander about his colt’s miscue. “He’s been feeling great after that and should be all good for Thursday.”

Dexter Dunn, having a sensational year teaming with Melander to win the pair of North America’s $1 million races with Apex in the Hambletonian and with Super Chapter in the International Trot, will drive Command Center from the pylon post in an eight-horse affair, carded as race six. His competition includes Easy Down Blonde (driven by Tim Tetrick, post four, 5-2 morning line odds), who finished runner-up in the New Jersey Classic final behind eventual Grade 1 Mohawk Million champ Wrong Sounds Right, as well as another pair seeking a rebound from defeat in the Kentucky Championship Series final in Special Day (Andy McCarthy, post two, 9-2) and Nights In Miami (Marvin Luna, post six, 6-1).

Melander also trains a pair looking to usurp 9-5 morning line favourite Lifetime Dreamer (Yannick Gingras, post six) in the first Bluegrass division for freshman trotting males, slated as race three. He’ll send Dream Shaq (Mattias Melander, post one, 5-2), entering from a seventh-place effort after parking the mile in the Grade 1 Peter Haughton Memorial on Sept. 18 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, and Free Scottie (Todd McCarthy, post four, 9-2), who ships in from a third-place effort behind Wrong Sounds Right in the New Jersey Classic final.

Lifetime Dreamer, also foiled in the New Jersey Classic, made his mark when trouncing Wrong Sounds Right on Hambletonian Day with a world-record 1:51.1 mile in the New Jersey Sires Stakes Platinum Final, which has been his last visit to the winner’s circle to date. Mats (Dexter Dunn, post eight, 8-1), another Svanstedt pupil who beat Wrong Sounds Right on debut in a New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum preliminary, also competes in the field.

Whateverittakes As (Tony Hall, post three, 2-1), the winner of the Kentucky Championship Series final for two-year-old trotting males, fronts the octet for his cohort’s third Bluegrass division, going as race eight. The homebred for ACL Stuteri Ab faces a three-pronged line from the Melander contingent led by undefeated Gagosian (Dexter Dunn, post six, 8-1), who puts his five-race win streak on the line off a snug front-stepping victory in the Kentucky Golden Rod final. Carbon Fiber (Yannick Gingras, post one, 3-1), who rallied for third in the Kentucky Championship Series final, also lands in the field.

Ake Svanstedt brings Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champ Jimdougie Armitage (post six, 2-1) out of the Keystone State for the first time and faces seven other rivals in the closing Bluegrass division for freshman trotting males, carded as race 12. The Captain Corey colt has won three straight coming into the race and spars with Kentucky Commonwealth champ End Result (Dexter Dunn, post one, 6-1) for Melander along with Top Reacher (Scott Zeron, post five, 9-2), who finished third in the Kentucky Championship Series final as well as the Grade 1 William Wellwood Memorial at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Presidente (Yannick Gingras, post three, 7-2) will also line behind the gate for trainer Nancy Takter following a runner-up defeat as the odds-on chalk in the Peter Haughton Memorial two weeks ago.

Nancy Takter looks to open the Grand Circuit meeting with a victory in the first  $117,740 USD division of the Bluegrass for two-year-old pacing fillies with JK Lady Liberty (Scott Zeron, post seven, 4-5), who competes as the morning-line chalk in the first race of the day. The Captain Crunch homebred filly for 3 Brothers Stables, out of Takter graduate and 2014 Horse of the Year JK Shesalady, has put together a five-race win streak coming into Thursday that includes a 1:51.1 victory on the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final at Pocono Downs on Sept. 7.

Kentucky Championship Series winner Seaside Ubeaut (Dexter Dunn, post six, 2-1) leads the charge for other $118,740 USD Bluegrass dash for freshman pacing fillies, carded as race 10. The Andrew Harris-trained daughter of Downbytheseaside, out of world champion Warrawee Ubeaut, veered wide off the final turn and overcame that greenness for a 1:49.2 victory in the Kentucky-bred final. She matches against My Taylors Swift (Ronnie Wrenn Jr., post three, 3-1), who finished runner-up in the Kentucky Championship Series final, as well as JK Alwaysbpositive (Tim Tetrick, post one, 8-1), who finished second in the Kentucky Golden Rod Series final, inside of the eight-horse field.

The 13-race card for the opening day of the Grand Circuit meeting begins at 1 p.m. and includes a 50-cent Pick 5 beginning in race three as well as a pair of Pick-4 wagers with one starting in race six and the other in race 10. The Pick 5 and the Pick 4 are offered at an industry low takeout of 12 per cent.

Live harness racing during the Grand Circuit meeting will take place on a Thursday through Saturday rotation with the highlight day of the meet being on Saturday, Oct. 3 for the 134th edition of the Kentucky Futurity, the final jewel of the Trotting Triple Crown.

(The Red Mile)