Two-year-old trotting filly Wall Of Fame remained resolute under intense homestretch pressure from pocket-popping Gabriela Beatriz S to keep her perfect record intact with a 1:54.3 effort over an off track in one of the $134,286 divisions of the Grade 3 Bluegrass Stakes on Friday afternoon, Oct. 2 at The Red Mile.
After landing in second out of post five to a :28.3 first quarter, driver Andy Miller looped Wall Of Fame around early leader Gabriela Beatriz S (Yannick Gingras) to take control past the :57.1 half. Wall Of Fame cruised around the last turn as Gabriela Beatriz S swelled following Miller’s helmet. Gingras tipped his charge outside past three-quarters in 1:26 to lay an attack and Gabriela Beatriz S pushed up to match strides with Wall Of Fame in the stretch but wavered as Miller’s charge dug in to hold her ground. Wall Of Fame repelled Gabriela Beatriz S inside of the final eighth and reached the beam a neck better. Putitondadstab (Scott Zeron) gave chase from third, beaten another five lengths.
“I just think her and Andy have a great connection,” said trainer Julie Miller after the race. “She doesn’t do more than she has to, but she knows how to get herself to the winner’s circle. Her biggest thing is she’s easy on herself. She doesn’t get too excited by anything; she lets Andy do what he wants. Versatility is key. This is a great group of fillies. Andy and I over the years have had a lot of nice trotters [and] she ranks right up there with them. We’re just very blessed to have her and very grateful.
“I think we’re going to take her back to [New] Jersey, a little ‘R and R’ [sic] and maybe target the Goldsmith Maid,” added Miller. “I’ll talk to Andy and our vet at home and see what we think is best.”
Undefeated in 10 starts, Wall Of Fame has amassed more than $850,000 for owners Andy Miller Stable of Cream Ridge, New Jersey, Jean Goehlen of Franconia, New Hampshire, Hutchison Harness of North Ridgeville, Ohio and Rick Huffman of Sigourney, Iowa. The daughter of Walner, out of Donato Hanover mare Saadet, was bred by 30 Plus Stable and Klemmer Holdings, and purchased by her connections for $83,333 from the 2025 Lexington Select Yearling Sale. She returned $2.24 to win as the bettors' choice.
Dandelion Wine, escaping the clutches of Wall Of Fame, opened the rainy afternoon with a powerful brush off the final turn to snag the lead and win the fastest $134,286 Bluegrass division for freshman trotting fillies in a 1:53 mile.
Driver Dexter Dunn planted the Ake Svanstedt pupil into third as 2-5 favourite Heart Of Secret (Yannick Gingras) swooped forward to take the lead approaching a :28.2 first quarter. The field stayed in alignment up the backstretch to a :56.2 half but broke rank around the last turn with Dandelion Wine angling outside and Pattys Girl (Tim Tetrick) following her cover. Dandelion Wine thrusted by Heart Of Secret after three-quarters in 1:25.3 and cruised to the finish for a 3-3/4-length win chased by Pattys Girl in second. Heart Of Secret rolled off stride and settled for third.
“She has actually been facing Wall Of Fame in every race that she’s been in, so a second behind her is a very good record on the paper,” said Sarah Svanstedt of the Svanstedt stable. “She’s big, strong, good looking, so it’s going to be a nice future with her.”
A daughter of Ecurie D DK out of the Southwind Frank mare Plum Wine, Dandelion Wine races for breeder Little E of New York City, New York and co-owner Ake Svanstedt Inc. of Wrightstown, New Jersey. She broke her maiden in the seventh start of her career and has now earned nearly $160,000. She paid $7.06 to win as the 5-2 second choice.
Canadian-campaigned Beauts Cabaret and driver Scott Zeron stole tepid fractions and had plenty in store for flanking challenges late to clinch a 1:55.2 victory in another $134,286 Bluegrass division for freshman trotting fillies.
Zeron slid the Stephen Bossence-trained Beauts Cabaret out of post seven to the lead in a :29.2 first quarter and remained alone on the front to a :58.3 half and three-quarters in 1:27.2. She came under fire in the stretch from 3-2 favourite Rio De Janeiro (Joe Bongiorno) nudging through an inside seam and Blue Ranger (Orjan Kihlstrom) continually building momentum to the outside. Zeron kept his charge to task under late duress to seal a neck victory over Rio De Janeiro with Blue Ranger settling for third.
Following up a victory in the Grade 3 Champlain Stakes last month, Beauts Cabaret improved to four-for-seven lifetime and has earned more than $140,000 for London, Ont. based trainer Bossence and partners Steve Palermo of Etobicoke, Ont., and Jeffery Ruch of Innisfil, Ont. The daughter of International Moni, out of Muscle Hill mare Southwind Cabaret, was bred by Southwind Farm.
“I bought the mare with the foal at her side and right away I wanted to name it after Steve Bossence’s daughter," said winning Palermo after the race. "He used to call her ‘Beaut,’ so we just called [the filly] Beauts Cabaret and its been pretty lucky for us so far. She’s got a lot of good brothers – I bought her probably as a broodmare prospect for down the line, but now she’s making the money on her own right.”
Beaut Cabaret returned $16.26 to win for the mild 7-1 upset.
Another successful Ake Svanstedt trainee, Orinoco and Yannick Gingras made a mid-race move for the top and then denied an uncovered bid from odds-on favourite Birr Castle to win the $135,714 final Bluegrass split for freshman trotting fillies in a 1:54.3 mile.
Gingras settled Orinoco into third while longshot Just Dior Her (Andy Miller) crossed to the lead through a :28 first quarter. Pocket-sitter Mine Mine Mine (Mattias Melander) then broke stride into the backstretch and Gingras soon pulled off the cones to circle Orinoco to the lead heading to a :57 half. Birr Castle (Scott Zeron), racing in third, tipped outside and reached for the leader through three-quarters in 1:26.4, but evened in her bid into the final eighth. Orinoco strode comfortably for a half-length win over Birr Castle with Two Day Hangover (Dexter Dunn) closing for third.
“She’s a real nice filly; all of her races she’s done very well,” said Bernie Noren on behalf of the winning connections. “When we get the top, she’s a tough filly to pass. We’ll go for the Breeders Crown next at Scioto Downs, so hopefully we can be good there. She’s good on a five-eighths track.”
Knutsson Trotting of Delray Beach, Florida co-owns Orinoco, a Captain Corey filly out of Andover Hall mare Bonnie Lou, with Ake Svanstedt Inc. Bred by Steve Jones, the $277,778 Lexington yearling acquisition collected her third win from seven starts and has earned back her purchase price. She paid $9.20 to win as the 7-2 third wagering choice.
Two-year-old pacing males also competed in Bluegrass Stakes action on Friday, with Rumble And Sway splashing decisively through the mud to lead every step for a 1:51.4 victory in the first and fastest of three $127,571 splits.
Driver Tim Tetrick asserted Rumble And Sway from the pylon post to seize the lead into the first turn and locked the race down after a :28.1 first quarter. The Brett Pelling pupil strolled up the backstretch to a :56.1 half and separated from his peers through the final turn, clocking three-quarters in 1:24.2. In the stretch, Rumble And Sway widened his advantage under minimal encouragement from Tetrick and crossed the line 5-1/2 lengths in front of Fairway To Heaven (Andy McCarthy), who split through traffic for second. Pocket-sitter Eloun Musk (Todd McCarthy) levelled off for third.
“He’s quite a light horse and he’s a beautiful pacer -- travels over top of the ground,” said Pelling after the race. “I’m watching and listening to them all warm up and one thing I noticed when he went by [was] I didn’t hear him, so I thought he might have a little edge on the conditions today.”
A gelding by Sweet Lou out of Western Terror mare Apple Of My Pie, Rumble And Way competes for owners Pelling Racing of Cream Ridge, New Jersey, David Van Dusen of Madison, Ohio and Canamerica Capital of Milton, Ont. Bred by Princeton Farms, he was a $70,423 yearling purchase from the Standardbred Horse Sale last fall. Rumble And Sway has hit the board in all six of his starts, winning half and earning nearly $235,000 in purses. He returned $4.20 to win as the even-money second choice.
Blazin Lou, driven by Todd McCarthy, put together a similar front-stepping effort from the pylon draw in the second Bluegrass dash for a 1:52.2 score as the 8-5 favourite.
McCarthy protected pylon position to take command with Blazin Lou to a :28.1 first quarter and faced minimal pressure in the backstretch to a :56.1 half. The Tony Dinges trainee continued unfettered on the lead through the last turn to three-quarters in 1:24.3 and coasted home to win by 1-1/2 lengths while chased by Grandline Station (Joe Bongiorno), who skimmed through an inside seam to give pursuit for second. Vandros (Tim Tetrick) emerged from a ground-saving trip for third.
“Front’s been a good spot today I think,” said McCarthy after the race. “He raced really good – full credit to Tony there. It was a pretty good mile on that sticky track.”
Blazin Lou competes for owner Rick Berks of Paris, Kentucky. The Sweet Lou colt, out of Rocknroll Hanover mare Beautiful Lady, was a $152,778 yearling from the Lexington sale bred by Cornerstone Stock Farm. He won his third race from nine starts this season and has now earned close to $150,000. He paid $5.38 to win.
Stonebridge Blitz, with Yannick Gingras aboard, broke his maiden in the final Bluegrass dash for freshman pacing males after foiling his Ron Burke stablemate, fellow maiden and 9-5 favourite Ocean Party, in a 1:52.2 mile.
Gingras obliged to sit second with Stonebridge Blitz when leaving from the pylon post as Ocean Party (Tim Tetrick) loomed forward out of post six to take command to a :28 first quarter. Stonebridge Blitz steadily drafted through a :56.2 half and slowly lifted off the pylons rounding the last turn and approaching three-quarters in 1:24.3. The Burke pair sparred all down the stretch with Stonebridge Blitz overpowering Ocean Party in the final yards to win by a head, with Dog Dare You (Dexter Dunn) chasing from third 3-3/4 lengths behind.
“This was a really nice looking colt,” said winning co-owner Larry Karr of Boca Raton, Florida. “He trained down great and he’s been knocking at the door against some of the top ones, but he’s a little bit hard to steer. I thought he was a lot more manageable today; Yannick gave him a good trip.”
Stonebridge Blitz, a gelding by Tall Dark Stranger out of Sweet Lou mare and Burke graduate Shouldabeenatd, competes for Karr and partners Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Mark Rosenthal of Las Vegas, Nevada and Frank Baldachino of Harvey Cedars, New Jersey. Bred by Stonebridge Farm, the $55,556 yearling buy from the Lexington sale collected his first victory in the ninth start of his career and has now banked more than $160,000. He paid $8.16 to win as the 2-1 second choice.
Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes on Saturday, Oct. 3 with a 13-race card headlined by the 134th edition of the $575,000 Kentucky Futurity (Grade 1), carded as the last race of the day and scheduled to broadcast nationally on Fox Sports 2. The Saturday card is co-headlined by the $300,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity (Grade 1) and a pair of Grade 3 Bluegrass dashes each for pacing sophomores of both sexes. There will be three guaranteed wagers with a $7,500 guaranteed Pick 5 starting in race three, a $5,000 guaranteed Pick 4 starting in race six and a $10,000 guaranteed Pick 4 starting in race 10. Both the Pick 5 and the Pick 4 at The Red Mile are offered at an industry low takeout of 12 per cent.
(With files from The Red Mile)