Trainer Ron Burke’s star of his 2025 sophomore class, Louprint, maintained his perfect record on the season with a 1:46.3 exhibition to win the second of two $305,556 divisions of the Grade 2 Tattersalls Pace amid the Sunday afternoon stakes on Oct. 5 at The Red Mile.
Driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. set sail out of fourth with Louprint in the first turn and cleared stablemate Swingtown (Yannick Gingras) through a :27.4 first quarter. Wrenn let his charge roll up the backside, clocking a half in :53.3, and cruised through the last turn to pace by three-quarters in 1:20.1. Swingtown angled outside and mildly pressed Louprint in the lane before the Sweet Lou-Rockin Racer colt reached in the reserves for another burst. Louprint sprinted away in the last eighth to best Swingtown by 2-1/2 lengths while World Of Wishes (Dexter Dunn) chased off a ground-saving trip for third.
“I wasn’t worried about a world record, I just wanted to win the race, but he was terrific today," said Wrenn. "He’s pretty sharp right now.”
“I was expecting that he could win, I just didn’t know how the trip would work out,” said Burke. “It’s funny, at the top of the lane when Swingtown was on his back -- we’ve had that scenario probably 10 times training and he’s never gotten to him -- and I’m thinking ‘is this going to be the one time he’s going to get to him?’ But the colt just digs; he wants to win.”
Louprint remained perfect from 10 starts this season while collecting his 17th victory from 20 starts in his career and lifting his earnings to $2.4 million. Louprint is a homebred for Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and Phillip Collura of Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, also co-owned by Lawrence Karr of Randolph, New Jersey.
The bettors' choice paid $2.42 to win.
Handsome Stranger and Andy McCarthy capitalized from a tumultuous battle between leaders Prince Hal Hanover and Madden Oaks to storm over the top and nail a 1:48.1 victory as the longest shot on the board in the first division of the Tattersalls.
Prince Hal Hanover (Todd McCarthy), the 2-5 favourite, pushed out of post eight to grab the lead from Papis Pistol (Jason Bartlett) after a :26 first quarter and sailed up the backstretch to clock a :52.4 half. Madden Oaks (Braxten Boyd) was angled outside from sixth and charged uncovered up the rim and reached Prince Hal Hanover’s neck moving around the last turn. The rivals sped in tandem by three-quarters in 1:19.4 but they both rounded the final turn on fumes. Madden Oaks forged forward to a narrow lead but Prince Hal Hanover fought back at the inside as the backfield loomed late. Fusion (Dexter Dunn) burst through a seam at the inside while Handsome Stranger charged widest of all from last. Handsome Stranger managed to snatch the win from Fusion by a neck at odds of 86-1. Prince Hal Hanover held his ground for third less than a length behind and Madden Oaks settled for fourth.
“He’s actually been finishing really good every start, coming home in :26, :25 in tough Sire Stakes competition,” said winning trainer Per Engblom after the race. “And today, they went fast enough up front, so it was good enough for us. Obviously, he proved today that he belongs now and he’s been getting stronger as the year’s gone.”
A gelding by Tall Dark Stranger out of Silk Beach, Handsome Stranger won for the third time in 18 starts this season and now has four victories overall in 28 starts in his career, going over $300,000 in earnings. Bred by Frederick Hertrich, he competes for owners Morrison Racing Stables of Indiana, Pennsylvania, Brian Gordon of Livingston, New Jersey and Stephen Gordon of Lake Grove, New York.
The longshot returned $174.16 for a $2 win ticket.
Erv Miller pupil Unreasonable emerged from a shuffle with a charge down the centre of the track to score an 11-1 upset in the $334,722 Glen Garnsey Memorial (Grade 3) with a dozen three-year-old pacing fillies entered.
Driver Marcus Miller found a stalking seat for Unreasonable behind Champagne Room (Andy McCarthy) in progress to a :27.1 first quarter. Looksgoodinloulou (Yannick Gingras), launching from post 10, ditched a pylon seat and pushed uncovered on the outside with stablemate and 3-5 favourite Rodeo Drive Deo (David Miller) tracking her cover up the backstretch. Rodeo Drive Deo then slid past Looksgoodinloulou through a :53.4 half to take over the lead, at which point Unreasonable sat locked in the pylons towards the middle of the pack.
Rodeo Drive Deo chugged through the last turn to three-quarters in 1:20.1 but hit the ropes as her peers loomed to strike once straightening for home. Looksgoodinloulou darted through a seam at the inside to take the lead while Marcus Miller veered Unreasonable to the centre of the track and found clearance nearing the final eighth. Unreasonable gathered momentum and zipped for the finish to clinch a half-length win over Looksgoodinloulou while Found (Todd McCarthy) closed for third.
“She’s just a really good horse,” said Marcus Miller. “She hasn’t raced bad once this year, really. She’s got a huge kick turning for home if you don’t have to use her. I didn’t think I’d get away that close going into the first turn, period. There was a big shuffle -- I was pretty nervous in the last turn. [But I] got lucky and she was here today.”
Unreasonable won her seventh race from 12 starts this season and her 10th race from 23 starts in her career, with earnings now over $850,000 for owners Ervin Miller Stable of Wind Gap, Pennsylvania and David J. Miller of Lake Mary, Florida. The filly by Huntsville out of Roaring To Go was bred by Steve Stewart and Frank Chick.
She paid $24.26 to win.
The Tattersalls Pace was sponsored by Cameo Hills Farm and the Glen Garnsey Memorial was sponsored by Diamond Creek Farm.
(With files from The Red Mile)