Manofmanymissions fought off Dejarmbro in the third heat match race to win the 119th Kentucky Futurity for three-year-old trotters and wrap up another stakes filled program at The Red Mile on Sunday
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With the inside advantage in the $98,000 final, Manofmanymissions and driver Dave Miller took the lead while Dejarmbro and Brian Sears settled in behind. Manofmanymissions strolled to the first quarter in :28.2 and half in :58 with Dejarmbro right on Miller's helmet.
Dejarmbro began to edge off the helmet at they neared three-quarters in 1:27.4 and charged up alongside the Manofmanymissions. Dejarmbro pushed a half length ahead down the stretch, but Manofmanymissions fought back on the inside to score the victory in 1:54.3 by three-quarters of a length. The final quarter was clocked in :26.4.
Manofmanymissions paid $3.80 to win as the slight second choice.
"I wanted to get to the lead and control the race and go as slow as I could," explained Dave Miller of his racing tactics. "I tried to get him in gear enough around the last turn to have him set up to trot home good but Brian's horse was a little quicker out of the hole than I thought. My horse, he fought game and got the job done. He's as game as hell."
"The horse was just awesome today and Dave did a great job getting him back into it on the end of it," commented trainer Erv Miller amidst the winner's circle celebrations.
With some equipment changes, Manofmanymissions rebounded from a break in stride in the first heat, won by supplemental entry Dejarmbro in 1:53.4, to win the second heat in 1:52.4 and earn the inside post position in the race off.
"We changed to a different shoe. We went to a half-round because the track was pretty wet today. He had swedges and I thought he was sticking a little too much. That's probably why he ran the first trip.
"He's got a lot of heart and he's a very, very fast horse. Most of the times he overcomes it, but we had our bumps that's for sure."
The son of Yankee Glide-Armbro Vanquish is owned by the Manofmanymissions Stable, Mystical Marker Farms, and the M Biasuzzi Stable.
Manofmanymissions will skip next week's stakes at The Red Mile and look towards the Breeders Crown competition.
On The Glass Takes Allerage Mares Open Pace
On The Glass rallied home from off the pace to nip Chancey Lady right at the wire for a 29-1 upset in the $85,200 Allerage Fillies & Mares Open Pace.
Fresh off a win in the Milton Stakes, On The Glass' stablemate Laughandbehappy (Jody Jamieson) cleared the lead past the :27.3 opening quarter mark. As she led the way down the backstretch, Chancey Lady (Tim Tetrick) moved underway from fourth and changed up to take over at the half in :55.3 with Ginger and Fred (Brian Sears) hot on her heels and On The Glass spotted second over.
Chancey Lady reached the next marker in 1:23 and held a one and a half length lead into the stretch, but On The Glass was full of late pace and closed well to steal the glory in a season's-best 1:50.3. Ginger And Fred was third.
"I actually thought she was second, beat by a nose, but I'm not a very good judge when it comes to that stuff," said trainer Ross Croghan, who made a last minute decision to bring the mare to The Red Mile after a good training session last Saturday.
On The Glass paid $60 for the upset. The five-year-old Art Major-Abbey Won is owned by the Let It Ride Stables, the Robert Cooper Stables, Jerry Silva, and Jeffrey Webster.
"About a month ago we bought her. I kind of told the owners to keep an eye on this mare and if she ever comes on the market let's take a shot with her," said Croghan. "That's what we did."
On The Glass' lifetime earnings climbed to $680,658.
Croghan also commented on Laughanbehappy's performance. She finished one length behind in fourth.
"She might not be as sharp today. She went a big mile last week and I had to shipdown from Canada. That probably took a little out of her."
Bluegrass Trophy For Big Bad John
Fresh off a victory in the Little Brown Jug, Big Bad John added another stakes trophy to his mantle with his 1:50.1 winning effort in the second $101,500 Bluegrass Series division for the glamour boys.
Something For Doc (Ron Pierce) took control of the nine-horse field off the gate and posted the :27.1 opening quarter before Up The Credit (Jody Jamieson) pulled the pocket and took over the top spot. Moving out from third at that point, Shadyshark Hanover (Brian Sears) had to angle wide as Up The Credit beat him to the punch, but quickly took over with Big Bad John and Dave Miller hot on his heels. Big Bad John made the front at the :54 half, but his work was not done.
Feel Like A Fool (Yannick Gingras) took his shot and went head-to-head with Big Bad John as they raced to three-quarters in 1:22.1, but Big Bad John took off as they entered the stretch to score the one and a half length victory as the even-money favourite while Up The Credit came on for second. Westwardho Hanover rallied three-wide off Feel Like A Fool's cover around the final turn to come on for third.
Ron Potter trains the son of Western Hanover-Trulyawork Of Art for Florida's Winchester Baye Acres.
"It was a pretty tough trip," said the conditioner. "Dave said he was a little tired at the end so maybe he wasn't quite as good as he was [in the Jug] because that was two hard trips in Delaware.
"That was the Super Bowl of harness racing as far as I'm concerned," said Potter, reflecting on the Jug win with hometown favourite Big Bad John. "It's just unbelievable."
Today's win was number 10 in 13 starts this year and the lion's share of the purse pushed his career bankroll to $974,559.
"I think the Breeders Crown is going to be his next shot," said Potter.
Big Bad John paid $4 to win.
Manofmanymissions Forces Kentucky Futurity Race Off
Three-year-old trotter Manofmanymissions forced the Kentucky Futurity to become a three-heat contest after edging out the first leg winner, Dejarmbro, right at the wire in the second $196,000 heat.
Hambletonian champion Broad Bahn (George Brennan) led the way to the opening quarter in :27.1 with millionaire Manofmanymissions and driver David Miller in the pocket and Dejarmbro (Brian Sears) positioned sixth at the rail.
As the field headed down the backstretch towards the half in :56.4, Sears tipped Dejarmbro out behind the parked Liva Jazz (John Campbell). With Live Jazz slowly gaining ground on the outside, Sears sent Dejarmbro three-wide as they neared the 1:25.2 third quarter mark. Live Jazz made a break as they passed that marker and Dejarmbro surged ahead with Manofmanymissions charging up to his inside.
The pair battled right to the wire with Manofmanymissions pushing a head out in front to prevail in 1:52.4. He paid $6.40 to win. Big Rigs (Dave Palone) finished two and a half lengths behind in third.
"I definitely got a better trip the second heat. George took off in the first heat around the last turn and I was trying to go with him, but you really can't rush him," said Dave Miller in the winner's circle. "This trip worked out a lot better for him. The only thing they [changed] was they took his bell boots off. They pulled his hind shoes the first heat and they talked about pulling all four of them, but I haven't had much luck doing that so we left his front ones on and they took his bell boots off. But it was definitely the trip he got.
"I think he gets the rail [in the third heat] since he won this heat so that's a big help," he added. "Hopefully, we'll get to control the race and get it done."
The son of Yankee Glide-Armbro Vanquish is trained by Erv Miller for the Manofmanymissions Stable, Mystical Marker Farms, and the M Biasuzzi Stable.
Cedar Dove Wins Filly Futurity In Straight Heats
Cedar Dove captured the 46th edition of the Kentucky Filly Futurity in straight heats for driver Ron Pierce and trainer Noel Daley.
After wiring a field of 12 sophomore trotting fillies the first heat in 1:53.2 earlier this afternoon, Cedar Dove swept to command from the pocket down the backstretch and held off first heat runner-up Bold And Fresh (Dave Miller) for a 1:53.4 victory in the $174,600 second heat.
Pantholops (Andy Miller) established the early lead ahead of Cedar Dove during a :28, but Pierce sent his filly to top as they moved past the half-mile mark in :56.2. Pantholops self-destructed from the pocket as did the first over filly, Lady Rainbow (Rick Zeron). Left all alone on top, Cedar Dove cruised past three-quarters in 1:25.3 and dug deep in the stretch to hold off the quick-closing Bold And Fresh, who was left first over when her cover broke. Cedar Dove prevailed by three-quarters of a length as the 9-5 favourite. She paid $5.80 to win. Crys Dream (Luc Ouellette) rounded out the top three finishers.
"She was awesome today, Noel did a great job getting her ready for this event," said Pierce in the winner's circle. "She felt good at that point [turning for home with a big lead]. She was still trotting nice and she felt good and strong so I figured I could hold them off.
"There were a lot of great fillies in there, but we've had confidence in her all along," continued Pierce. "Since she was two she showed us that she was just brilliant on the track with her gait and her speed, but she had some bad luck earlier in the year. It was just a matter of time before she came around."
The daughter of Andover Hall-Pine For Her was bred by Bob Anderson and Rod Ferguson of St. Thomas, Ont. and is owned by New York's Adam Victor And Son Stable and John Fielding of Toronto.
"I want to make a special reference to the breeder of the horse, who was the late Bob Anderson," added Fielding. "He was a very close friend of ours and his son David is here today but he was always a great guy and a great supporter of the sport. He bred this filly and we miss him today."
Cedar Dove will be back at The Red Mile for next week's stakes events.
Jamieson Notches Milestone Win In Allerage Mares Open Trot
Friendly Amigo pulled off a 56-1 upset in the $83,700 Allerage Fillies & Mares Open Trot and provided driver Jody Jamieson with his 6,000th career win.
Post 7 starter Pembroke Heat Wave (Yannick Gingras) worked her way to the lead ahead of Friendly Amigo and Jamieson during a :26.4 opening quarter while the parked outside starter Yursa Hanover (John Campbell) pressed on.
Yursa Hanover edged ahead of Pembroke Heat Wave down the backstretch, eventually clearing past the :54.3 half-mile mark.
From there Jamieson sent Friendly Amigo first over from third and swept to command. The five-year-old daughter of Amigo Hall-Diminutive opened up a three length lead past three-quarters in 1:23.3 and continued to pour it on down the stretch. She stopped the clock in a career-best 1:52.2. Jersey As (George Brennan) came on for second and Autumn Escapade (David Miller) was third.
Friendly Amigo earned her third win in 25 starts this year for trainer Blair Burgess and owner-breeders Robert Burgess of Campbellville, Ont., and Karin Olsson Burgess of Milton, Ont.
"A couple of things happened in the barn when we were coming out," noted Moffat, Ont. resident Jamieson after his milestone win. "Blair said to me, don't look at this mare's lines, she's a lot better. He thought she could go with these mares all along, her form just hasn't been that good. That was the first thing he said to me, and the second thing he said to me was that he was going to quit telling me how to drive them. I think it kind of worked out the best for the both of us because we haven't had a very good week yet. But this mare got spotted good and when John cleared -- he was out for a long way -- he was right to pounce on and she just trotted hard right to the wire."
Friendly Amigo paid a whopping $115.80 to win. Her career bankroll surpassed the half-million dollar mark.
Jamieson has now won 406 races so far in 2011 while banking over $8.7 million in purses, making him Canada's leading money earning driver this season. The two-time O'Brien Award winner has earned over $84 million in his career.
Kentucky Futurity Supplement Dejarmbro Wins Heat #1
Supplementing into the 119th Kentucky Futurity for three-year-old trotters, Dejarmbro proved the investment was worth it for his owners as he stormed home to capture the $196,000 first heat.
Broad Bahn (George Brennan) fired to command from Post 5 and led the way past panels of :27.3, :56.2 and 1:25.1 before Dejarmbro and driver Brian Sears came flying home off third over cover to prevail by half a length in 1:53.4. Broad Bahn had to settle for second while Big Rigs (Dave Palone) came on for third. Luckycharm Hanover (Tim Tetrick) finished fourth after picking up cover near the half from Manofmanymissions, who broke stride into the final turn and ended up eighth.
All 10 colts in the race will return for the next heat later on the card, but Opening Night has been scratched.
"I noticed scoring down he was a little bit pacey and was hopping around a little bit so I was concerned going to the gate," said Sears. "And I had a right to be concerned because he started pacing there a little bit and then he hit the trot once we got rolling, but I was never really able to catch the gate. From there I kind of just floated on up and flushed some decent cover. I think I ended up third over, which kept me close enough to track George down at the wire."
Dejarmbro's earnings from the win pushed his career bankroll over the million dollar mark for trainer Trond Smedshammer and New York's Purple Haze Stables.
"That was between Trond and his owners," said Sears of the decision to pay the $50,000 supplement fee into the race. "But he is one of the top trotting colts out there and he deserves to be in this race and he showed it.
"We're definitely going to draw a little better [in the next heat] and hopefully we can get away from the gate clean. We might make a couple of changes on him, but he's a big, strong colt and should be okay."
Dejarmbro paid $10.40 to win for the ninth time in 14 seasonal starts. His seasonal earnings now stand at $802,223.
Cedar Dove Wires Kentucky Futurity Fillies In Heat #1
Cedar Dove wired a field of 12 sophomore trotting fillies for the win in the first $116,400 heat of the 46th Kentucky Filly Futurity.
Cedar Dove and driver Ron Pierce took control of the field from Post 4 and cruised past panels of :28.3, :57.3 and 1:26 en route to the three and a half length victory in a career-best time of 1:53.2.
Post 10 starter Crys Dream (Luc Ouellette) swept wide early around a couple of breakers and settled into the four-hole. She advanced first up down the backstretch, but began to fade down the lane. Bold And Fresh (Dave Miller) rallied wide off her cover to finish second while Hey Mister (Brian Sears) came on for third.
The top 10 finishers will return for the second heat of the Kentucky Filly Futurity later on the card. Also advancing with the top three finishers (in remaining order of finish) are: Pantholops, Lost Symbol, Lady Rainbow, Crys Dream, Migisi, Pantholops, Action On George, and Wincinnatti (judges' scratch). Firstclassprincess and Cashmere N Caviar did not advance.
Noel Daley trains Cedar Dove, a daughter Andover Hall-Pine For Her who was a runner-up in the PASS Championships, for New York's Adam Victor And Son Stable and John Fielding of Toronto. She paid $16.20 to win.
"Noel trains all his horses down doing two heats so they're usually well set up for this," said Victor. "She came out of it pretty okay. Ronnie said she got a little lost on the lead at the end, but it doesn't seem like she was overexerted. We'll see. She's a bit of a hot filly, which is what you have to worry about in between heats, but so far today so good."
Hugadragon Wins Bluegrass Series Split
Hugadragon turned back a challenge from Foreclosure N and kicked away to an open length victory in the first of two Bluegrass Series divisions for three-year-old pacing colts.
Driver Yannick Ginras sent Hugadragon to the lead from Post 4 in the first $100,500 division while inside starter Wind Me Up (Dave Miller) made a break in stride off the gate. The son of Dragon Again-Hip Huggers led the seven-horse field past the opening quarter in :27.2.
As the field raced down the backstretch, 9-5 favourite Foreclosure N (Tim Tetrick) launched a first over attack and made it up alongside the leader as they moved past the :56-second half-mile mark.
The top two battled head-to-head during the third interval, but Hugadragon began to edge away as they hit three-quarters in 1:23 and rounded the final turn. Hugadragon drew clear down the stretch for the six and three-quarter length victory in 1:50 flat. The time of the mile shaved three-fifths of a second off the winning gelding's lifetime mark.
Lookinforadventure (Brian Sears) and Rhombus (Ron Pierce) lined up in the two and three-hole off the gate and followed the winner under the wire in second and third.
"He's kind of a funny horse," noted trainer Ron Burke after the win. "I know when he got to the front and Yannick was left alone for awhile, when Timmy came I said he won't turn him loose just because the more you grab into him the more he'll grab into you and try to pull away. So on the front he's actually funny. He's not going to be there all the time, but if he gets there and gets a horse outside of him prompting him, he will fight them off and he's a very fast horse."
Hugadragon is a homebred, owned by the Burke Racing Stable. The Oliver Wendell Holmes and PASS Championship runner-up has never missed a paycheque in 14 starts to earn $273,724 this year.
"We have a little more pride in him just because we did breed him and that's not something we usually do so it's neat for us as a family. We own him, we bred him, we had the mare, so it's neat," added Burke, noting the gelding was a project to break as a yearling.
"He was not tough to break, he was unbreakable. Basically, he's the only horse we had to send away [to the Amish]. His brother came in the other day and that's why I have a three inch scar on my face because he struck me in the face. The mare was that way and she's passed it on to all her babies."
The fiesty Hugadragon paid $8.60 to win as the 3-1 second choice.