One day after Ron Burke trainee Loua Dipa set a world record for freshman pacing fillies, stablemate Al Papi established a world record for two-year-old pacing colts with a 1:48.1 pillar-to-post mile to win the third of three $122,222 divisions of the International Stallion Stakes for rookie male pacers on Saturday, Oct. 4 at The Red Mile.
Al Papi soared to the lead from post five and cleared to command past an opening quarter of :26.4. He coasted up the backside under a firm hold from Dexter Dunn to a :53.3 half and continued comfortably through the last turn as pocket-sitter Lindy Dragonwater (Joe Bongiorno) pulled from the pocket with stablemate Ubrute (Yannick Gingras) in tow. Past three-quarters in 1:21.1, Al Papi spurted away in the stretch and maintained his speed while chased home by 4-5 favourite Ubrute to post a two-length victory. Lindy Dragonwater gave way and settled for third, making it an all-Burke triactor.
“That was obviously the first time I sat behind him, but he post paraded great and gave me a great feel,” Dunn said after the race. “We left out of there and he was pretty deceptive with his speed – I didn’t think he was going those sort of fractions early. He was feeling great the whole mile and once I asked him, popped the plugs in the straight, he really sprinted great.”
The 1:48.1 mile by Al Papi eclipses the previous world record set last year by another Burke trainee, Sippinonsearoc, who won a Kentucky Championship Series preliminary at The Red Mile in 1:48.2. The mark also lowers the track record at The Red Mile for two-year-old pacing colts and is two ticks shy of the all-time fastest pacing mile by a two-year-old, which Odds On Mr Mamba set on Thursday in an Indiana Sire Stakes division at Hoosier Park.
A homebred Papi Rob Hanover-Baron Remy colt for Burke Racing Stable LLC, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, Larry Karr, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Al Papi won his fourth race from nine starts. He has now earned $334,799 in his career. Sent off as the second choice in the betting, he paid $4.20 to win.
Burke and company teamed with another homebred in Melillo, who returned from his Bluegrass win last week to claim a 1:48.4 victory in the first division for freshman pacing males.
Leaving from post six, Melillo floated forward for Gingras and grabbed cover from stablemate Another C Note (Tetrick), who brushed towards the lead through a :27 first quarter. Melillo then looped by to take the top while Sweet Lovin Lou (James MacDonald) moved off the pegs out of fifth and marched outside to push for the lead through a :54.3 half. Sweet Lovin Lou settled on the point through the last turn and maintained his speed to three-quarters in 1:21.3, though Melillo just crept outside off the bottom corner and gathered speed for the sprint to the finish. Melillo overpowered Sweet Lovin Lou late in the lane to register a neck win with Kiss In The Sky (Dunn) closing to take third, three lengths behind.
The Sweet Lou-Rosemary Rose colt is trained by Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Jason Melillo and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. Melillo won his third race from 10 starts and has now banked $294,559. He paid $3.02 to win.
Dunn guided Andrew Harris trainee Brandon Blvd – dismissed from post nine at odds of 10-1 – from the backfield off of fast fractions to victory in the second division for two-year-old pacing males.
Brandon Blvd dropped back from his outside draw and raced last off a contested :26.2 first quarter cut by Thai Hanover (Jeremy Indof). Be Sting (Todd McCarthy), launching forward out of post eight, rejected a seat in third at the pylons and motored up on the rim to overtake Thai Hanover for the lead. Frantic Hanover (Tim Tetrick) meanwhile raced parked in the middle of the pack but flushed cover from Signal Caller (Andy McCarthy) out of fourth as the field approached the half in :54.2.
Brandon Blvd advanced from fifth-over in that flow and began fanning wide through the last turn once Signal Caller cleared to the lead and then gave way to Frantic Hanover. Frantic Hanover, leading by three-quarters in 1:21.2, wavered in the stretch and lost the lead as Brandon Blvd barrelled down the center of the track. Show Me Your Ace (David Miller) fought between horses in a three-wide tussle while Frantic Hanover reengaged and clawed after Brandon Blvd late. Brandon Blvd kept control to the finish to down Frantic Hanover by a head in 1:49.1, with Show Me Your Ace settling for third by a neck.
“Dexter did a phenomenal job mapping out a trip,” Harris said after the race. “Before the race he was like ‘This is a tough spot, we’ll see what happens’ and it worked out. Dave’s horse [Show Me Your Ace] gave us a perfect trip – and credit to every horse in it. They all raced great, and Frantic [Hanover] was real game. Just a great race and this is a great horse.”
Brandon Blvd, a colt by Downbytheseaside-Alexis Faith, won his sixth race from eight starts and has now earned $452,246 for owners Bill Pollock, Bruce Areman, and Harris. He paid $22.52 to win.
Southwind Chaska returned from her lifetime-best performance in last week’s Bluegrass Stakes to gut out a front-stepping 1:52.1 victory in the first of three $150,000 divisions of the International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies.
Sent off as the even-money chalk, Southwind Chaska (Tetrick) eased to the lead past a :28.2 first quarter and cleared to control from Busy Miss Lissy S (MacDonald) when straightening for the backstretch. Southwind Chaska rolled unfazed to a :56.3 half but faced pressure once Creator (Dexter Dunn) pulled off the cones from fourth moving for the last turn. Creator levelled off in her challenge after three-quarters in 1:25, giving Busy Miss Lissy S clearance to angle out for a late attack in the stretch. Tetrick kept Southwind Chaska to task, and she quickened enough to hold onto victory from Busy Miss Lissy S’s persistent push by a head. Emmas Mystery Ccl (Andy McCarthy) kicked down the center of the track for third.
Winning her sixth race from eight starts, the Jim Oscarsson-trained Southwind Chaska has now accrued $327,299 in earnings for owners Oscarsson Racing Stable Inc. and John Cummins. The Tactical Landing-Southwind Chai filly paid $4.14 to win.
“She was so nice after [her win],” Oscarsson said after the race. “I jogged her all week and she was fantastic, so we put her in again and it was good. I knew that was a speedy horse [Busy Miss Lissy S] sitting behind, so I was a little worried about it. I wasn’t sure once the finish line came, but she was good.”
Carve forged forward as her rivals tired and landed as the 3-5 favourite in a 1:52 mile to take the second division for freshman trotting fillies.
Andy McCarthy slid Carve to the top before a :27.4 first quarter, and the filly cruised up the backstretch while being shuffled into third. Jailbird Jog (MacDonald) steadily progressed in her bid out of post nine to take the top from Lainey W (Scott Zeron) past a :55.1 half, and once MacDonald slowed the tempo, McCarthy tipped Carve off the pylons to attack into the last turn. Carve overhauled Jailbird Jog past three-quarters in 1:23.2 and held her ground in the stretch to notch a half-length win. Madam Cheval (Tetrick) closed to take second with Sparks (Ake Svanstedt) rallying between horses for third.
Noel Daley trains Carve, a Captain Corey-Alpine filly, for lessees Patricia Stable, L.A. Express Stable, and Sjoblom Racing Inc. The filly collected her second win from 10 starts and raised her earnings to $298,792. She returned $3.52 to win.
McCarthy and Daley also paired for victory in the final division for freshman trotting fillies with the Gimpanzee-Tiffany Dany It filly Zaheera, giving the trainer a grand slam on the card.
Zaheera raced seventh in the nine-horse field to a :28 first quarter cut by Atlantic Summer (Gingras) and stayed put until finding cover to follow from Brattitude (Todd McCarthy) up the backstretch. Next Big Think (Dunn) then angled outside from fourth and charged towards Atlantic Summer after a :57.2 half. Next Big Think zipped by tiring Atlantic Summer and created a cushion at three-quarters in 1:25 before shortening stride through the homestretch. McCarthy launched Zaheera from second-over, and the filly reeled in the labouring leader in the closing eighth of a mile. She then staved off a late bid from Respect N Honor (Tetrick), reaching for the line in time for a 1:53.2 win by a neck. Maya Patel Hanover (Svanstedt) closed for third.
“She’s had a pretty good year,” Andy McCarthy said after the race. “She’s kind of been her own worst enemy sometimes, but she had a good day today. She gave me a workout, that’s for sure. She’s definitely a very fast filly and hopefully she puts it together at three because she has plenty of ability there, for sure.”
Zaheera won for the second time in eight starts and has now earned $140,416 for owners Allister Stables LLC, Harbor Racing Stable LLC, Daley, and Sjoblom Racing Inc. She paid $7.06 to win.
Daley also won with Swift Sarabi ($4.28) and Hip Shot ($12.18) in overnight races for a training quadruple. The defending Dan Patch Trainer of the Year has won 125 races so far this season — 31 better than his previous season and already his best since 2008.
In the 13th-race conditioned event, Its Gonna Feelgood rallied from seventh at three-quarters to extend his winning streak to five. After cutting the mile last week, the Always B Miki-Passing Fancy sophomore came from off the pace and won by a length in 1:50.4 for driver Joey Putnam and trainer Don Campbell. The gelding is owned by Nancy Mannon. After winning one of his first 19 career starts, he has won five in a row.
The International Stallion Stakes divisions were sponsored by Midland Acres, Beach Glass Syndicate and Winbak Farm, Captaintreacherous Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms, Tactical Landing Syndicate and Hickory Lane Farm, Captain Corey Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms, and Tara Hills Stud.
Live racing concludes for the Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile on Sunday, Oct. 5 with an 11-race card headlined by the $500,000 USD 133rd Kentucky Futurity (Grade 1) and the $300,000 USD 60th Kentucky Filly Futurity (Grade 1). Sunday’s card also features a $7,500 guarantee in the Early Pick 4, which begins in Race 6. Every Pick 4, as well as the 50-cent Pick 5, at The Red Mile features an industry-low takeout of 12 per cent.
First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m.
(The Red Mile)