Hambletonian champ Karl and Kentucky Championship Series winner Date Night Hanover will attempt to overcome their draws as the morning-line favourites in the $500,000 USD Kentucky Futurity and $301,550 USD Kentucky Filly Futurity, respectively, on Sunday, Oct. 6 at The Red Mile.
Karl, anointed the 6-5 chalk, drew the lone slot in the second tier and will trail 10 rivals behind the starting gate in the 132nd Kentucky Futurity. The Nancy Takter-trained colt by Tactical Landing, with more than $2.3 million on his card, makes his first appearance since suffering only his third defeat from 21 starts in the 2024 Kentucky Championship Series final, where he was upended in the closing strides by a pylon-skimming Dame Good Time (racing from post two in the Futurity) in a 1:50.2 mile. Yannick Gingras will drive Karl from the trailing spot.
The field of 11 for the Kentucky Futurity has lured several high-status foes looking to down Karl, including Hambletonian runner-up Highland Kismet from post three. The Mark Etsell-trained Father Patrick gelding adds hopples back onto his gear following a facile 1:55.1 win in a Bluegrass division over a sloppy track last Saturday. Bob McClure gets the call once again and will start just to the inside of Ake Svanstedt pupil Amazing Catch, who capitalized on Highland Kismet’s break in stride in this year's Canadian Trotting Classic to pull a 19-1 upset in 1:51.4. James MacDonald acquires the drive on the Walner colt, who is part of a three-pronged Svanstedt charge in the Futurity that includes New Jersey Classic winner Tony Adams S from post six and Mr Bluebird from post seven.
Meanwhile, 3-1 morning-line favourite Date Night Hanover will have to deal with the outermost post in the 11-horse field for the 59th Kentucky Filly Futurity. Dexter Dunn drives the Marcus Melander-trained daughter of Chapter Seven out of post 10 following a 1:55 victory under wraps in a Bluegrass division last Saturday. The Zweig Filly Trot champ also faced an outside post in the Hambletonian Oaks earlier this year, in which she made a furious rally at the pylons before hooking wheels and breaking stride to finish ninth.
Date Night Hanover is only the slight choice inside the Kentucky Filly Futurity, which also attracts Hambletonian Oaks winner Warrawee Michelle from post seven, Hambletonian Oaks runner-up Buy A Round from post three, 2023 Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year Soiree Hanover from post nine and Elegantimage winner French Champagne from post 11 among the entrants.
Pacing glamour boys will spar earlier on the card in a pair of divisions for the $422,000 USD Tattersalls Pace. Division one pins Kentucky Championship Series winner Better Is Nice against 2024 Meadowlands Pace winner Legendary Hanover, himself looking for his first visit to the winner’s circle since Aug. 25. Andy McCarthy pilots Better Is Nice, a Tony Alagna-trained Bettors Wish colt, off a gutsy 1:53.1 first-over push in a Bluegrass division. He starts from post six, just to the inside of Anthony Beaton pupil Legendary Hanover, in a group that also includes 2023 Metro Pace winner Captains Quarters from post three and Little Brown Jug runner-up Mirage Hanover from post five.
Division two of the Tattersalls will see whether Steely Knife can build off his 12-1 Bluegrass upset last week when he starts from post two in the field of seven. Yannick Gingras gets the drive on the Ron Burke-trained colt by Always B Miki against a bunch that features Women Layer, runner-up to Better Is Nice in a Bluegrass division last Saturday; Mccrunch, runner-up to Steely Knife in the Bluegrass; and Captain Luke, a Tony Alagna-trained colt by Captaintreacherous looking to add to his resume which includes a 1:50.1 win in the 2024 Max Hempt Memorial Consolation.
The $233,000 USD Glen Garnsey Memorial, the filly counterpart to the Tattersalls, also features two divisions on the Sunday card. Rocket Deo, a 1:51.4 winner over My Girl EJ in a Bluegrass division last week, matches up against Jugette champ Soft Shot and another Bluegrass winner in Disney in the first division. Division two features My Girl EJ looking to make amends from a runner-up finish from post one as she faces seven rivals including Kentucky Championship Series winner Direction.
Sunday’s card also features each sex and gait of older Standardbred in the Allerage Farms Stakes. A quintet opens the card in the $69,500 USD Allerage Mare Trot and features a powerful Svanstedt duo in Call Me Goo, winner of the 2024 Armbro Flight earlier this season when with trainer Jason Skinner, and Nelsonbriteagle, entering off a 1:52.3 romp in this year's Miss Versatility final at the Delaware County Fair. Ake Svanstedt will pilot Call Me Goo from post two while Dexter Dunn retains the assignment on Nelsonbriteagle from post five.
Dayton Trotting Derby winner Logan Park will contend from post five against Maple Leaf Trot champ Periculum from post two in the $153,000 USD Allerage Open Trot. Dexter Dunn stays with Logan Park, a six-year-old Archangel gelding, for trainer Rob Fellows while Scott Zeron pilots Periculum, a five-year-old Muscle Hill stallion, for trainer Marcus Melander.
Sylvia Hanover escapes Twin B Joe Fresh in the $65,500 USD Allerage Mares Pace. The four-year-old Always B Miki mare lands post one in the sextet and will have Bob McClure in the bike for trainer Mark Steacy.
The penultimate race to the Grand Circuit meet is the $159,000 USD Allerage Open Pace, which gathers 10 with more than $10 million in collective earnings. Abuckabett Hanover earns slight favouritism as the 5-2 morning-line choice off a 1:49.3 victory in the Dayton Pacing Derby last Saturday and will have Dexter Dunn in the bike for trainer Andrew Harris. The field also includes Midwest millionaire Little Rocket Man, who keeps David Miller in the sulky from post five for trainer Ken Rucker, and double-millionaire Bythemissal, who has Yannick Gingras in the bike for trainer Ron Burke as the five-year-old Downbytheseaside gelding looks to continue in his return from a three-month layoff out of post 10.
Red Mile makes it first appearance on national television for the Kentucky Futurity
The Red Mile celebrates the culmination of the famed one-mile oval’s 150th anniversary season by placing itself upon on the network television scene in a new agreement with the Fox Sports family in conjunction with the New York Racing Association (NYRA). The iconic red clay facility, where many of harness racing’s historic moments have transpired, will enter the annals of the sport yet again by presenting the Kentucky Futurity, the final jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown, to households across the country for the first time since 1987 when the Breeders Crown was on ESPN.
“Fox Sports and NYRA are pleased to partner with The Red Mile for a terrific day of harness racing,” said Eric Donovan, Senior Director of Television Broadcast Operations at NYRA. “Many of the horses entered will be making their final start prior to the Breeders Crown, including Karl, the Hambletonian winner.
“We look forward to showcasing Futurity Day as we prepare for the Breeders Crown eliminations and finals, which we are proud to produce on Fox Sports.”
Donovan and his team have expanded harness racing coverage since Fox Sports entered the sphere of the sport in 2021 with the broadcast of that year’s Meadowlands Pace. In the ensuing three years, Fox Sports has provided coverage of many of harness racing’s most prolific events including the Little Brown Jug, the Dan Patch Memorial, the Graduate Series, Ohio Super Night and the Breeders Crown.
Now it adds the one of the most revered contests to its menu of harness racing fare.
The inaugural edition of the Kentucky Futurity broadcast will be available from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on FS1 and from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on FS2. The production will include all eight stake races on the blockbuster 12-race card, which include divisions of the prestigious Allerage Trot, Tattersalls Pace, Glen Garnsey Memorial and the Kentucky Filly Futurity.
The Kentucky Futurity is the final race on the card of a post time of 4:40 p.m. No matter what occurs on Sunday, one thing is certain: history will be made.
“We are excited to bring one of the greatest cards of the year in harness racing to a national audience, a first for The Red Mile even with all the tradition and history,” said Gabe Prewitt, Vice President of Wagering and Sports Wagering Operations. “Eric and the crew with America’s Day at the Races are first class and I have all the confidence in the world Sunday will be a great success.”
Prewitt, who is also the track announcer and frequent host on the Fox broadcasts will hand the reins to his regular colleague, Jessica Otten, and her sister, Jenna.
Sunday’s card will conclude the 2024 Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile and features 12 races on the program. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
(The Red Mile)