A pair of freshman elites will throw punches to kick off week two of the Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile on Friday, Oct. 6: Karl, unbeaten in five starts, will put his record on the line against millionaire colt T C I, who has only one blemish on his 10-race resume.
Karl and T C I will compete in race three on Friday’s 13-race card – the second of five divisions for the $341,000 International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings.
Karl lands the pylon post in their matchup off a 1:51.2 victory under wraps in a Bluegrass division, which came just a fifth of a second off the world record set in 2020 by Southwind Tyrion. The speed badge gives the Nancy Takter-trained colt by Tactical Landing the nod on the morning line, on which he’s listed at 6-5, while Ron Burke pupil T C I (pictured above) is the second choice at 9-5. T C I ships south off a wunderkind mile to take the Mohawk Million as the odds-on favourite. David Miller drives the son of Cantab Hall, who has won nine of his 10 races and finished second once, from post five.
Division one for the trotting colts and geldings opens the Friday program and features the Greenshoe-Cooler Schooner gelding Smart Schooner from post one as he tries for back-to-back wins over the clay. Tim Tetrick will drive the Jim Campbell trainee after he posted a headstrong victory by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:53.2 and faces several also returning from week one of the Grand Circuit meet. Hankins Hanover, off a second-place finish to Karl, will race from post five and Wild Ticket, third to Smart Schooner, will start from post three among others in the seven-horse contest.
Race four collects an even group of trotting boys for the third division, many of which are trying to build off longshot performances in week one. Ordained acquires Tim Tetrick for trainer Charlie Norris after he stormed home from last to finish second to Mars Hill at odds of 27-1 in Bluegrass action last out. His competitors include Bryant Bros S, who was second at 35-1 in a Bluegrass division, from post three and Flight Landing, a third-place finisher at 58-1, from post two.
Tony Alagna trainee Winter Soldier will try to build off a runner-up finish last week when he starts from post two in the fourth trotting colt and gelding division, carded as race six. The colt by Face Time Bourbon, who broke stride in the William Wellwood final after winning his elimination, shipped to Lexington and scored a 1:53.1 win before finishing runner-up to Smart Schooner last week. Andy McCarthy stays in the sulky just to the outside of morning line favourite Security Protected, a Marcus Melander-trained colt by Father Patrick who makes his first start since finishing seventh in the Mohawk Million.
Freshman trotting colts and geldings will wrap their stakes action in race eight with three Bluegrass winners in the field of eight. Mars Hill, the 5-2 morning line favourite, will start from post seven with Todd McCarthy in the bike off his 1:54.2 win in the Bluegrass. Dame Good Time has Scott Zeron in the sulky from post one off his 1:54.2 win in the Bluegrass. And Pick Pocket has Anthony MacDonald in the bike from post three off his 1:54.2 win in the Bluegrass, but at odds of 17-1.
Freshman pacing fillies will also be in action on Friday in three divisions for the $254,500 International Stallion Stakes.
A humdinger aligns for the opening division in race two where not only Lyons Legend and Blue Pacific will rematch, but another matchup brews with Caviart Belle and My Girl EJ. Caviart Belle earns the 5-2 nod as morning line favourite in spite of her fourth-place finish in the $540,000 Shes A Great Lady final. The Nancy Takter-trained filly by Captaintreacherous took a mark of 1:50.1 in a division of the Eternal Camnation earlier this year and will start from post seven. My Girl EJ, third in the Shes A Great Lady final, will start from post three and gets a new pilot in Dexter Dunn for trainer Ron Burke. All the while, Lyons Legend will try for back-to-back wins from the outermost post when she starts from post eight in rein to Tim Tetrick, and Blue Pacific will try for revenge from post one with David Miller in the sulky.
Undefeated pacing filly Geocentric makes her Lexington return in race seven, the second division for the freshman pacing fillies. Tim Tetrick will drive the Brian Brown-trained daughter of Sweet Lou from post one off her five-length victory in 1:50.2 in the $400,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes final on Sept. 17. Bluegrass division winners Canigetalouploup, from post seven, and Sarasota Hanover, from post four, also draw into the field of eight.
The final division of stakes action for the afternoon in race 10. Peace Talks will try for a victory off a last-to-second uncovered charge behind Canigetalouploup in her Bluegrass division last week, but will have to try for the win from post eight. David Miller sticks with the Chris Ryder-trained daughter of American Ideal as she will start as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line. The favourite is Camerican, who finished third to Peace Talks in the $225,000 New York Sires Stakes final and enters off a fourth-place finish to Blue Pacific in the $210,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes. Yannick Gingras will steer the Ron Burke trainee from post six.
A slew of syndicates sponsor the $341,000 International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Races one and eight go as “The Six Pack” and are sponsored by the Six Pack Syndicate and Deo Volente Farms; race three goes as “The Muscle Hill” and is sponsored by Southwind Farms; race four goes as “The Walner” and is sponsored by The Walner Syndicate; and race six goes as “The Ready For Moni” and is sponsored by Midland Acres.
Each division for the $254,500 International Stallion Stakes for freshman pacing fillies is presented by the Perfect Sting Syndicate and Brittany Farms along with Val D’Or Farms.
Racing at The Red Mile gets underway at 1 p.m. (EDT). The Red Mile features a $5,000 guarantee in the Pick 5, starting in race three, and a $10,000 guarantee in the Pick 4, starting in race six. The Pick 5 and Pick 4s at The Red Mile feature an industry-low takeout of 12 per cent.
(With files from The Red Mile)