Chris Ryder pupil Twin B Joe Fresh began a Dexter Dunn sweep of the $253,000 Perfect Sting International Stallion Stakes, for freshman pacing fillies, on Friday afternoon (Oct. 7) at The Red Mile.
Dunn stalked from fourth with Twin B Joe Fresh through a :27.3 first quarter but made the move to race first up into a :56.1 half. As pacesetter Treacherous Penny accelerated around the far turn to three-quarters in 1:23.4, Twin B Joe Fresh nonetheless ranged nearer to the lead and easily put away her competition in the stretch to win in hand in a 1:50 mile. Strong Poison rallied from second over for second, beaten 1-1/4 lengths, with Light And Tight finishing third and Caviart Davia taking fourth.
“She’s a pretty special filly,” Dexter Dunn said after the race. “Chris [Ryder] and Pete [Trebotica] liked her from day one and she hasn’t let us down yet.”
Trainer Chris Ryder also indicated that Twin B Joe Fresh had concluded her rookie season. “Schedule’s all over, all over - no more racing this year. [She’s] just going to Brittany Farm to be turned out and she has no more stakes left.”
Twin B Joe Fresh nabbed her eighth win from 10 starts and added to her account now worth $598,162. The daughter of Roll With Joe races for owners Chris Ryder, Dexter Dunn, Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak and paid $2.22 to win.
A few races later, Dunn steered a caught drive in Mcseaside to a 1:51.2 stakes victory for trainer Ron Burke.
Bellisima Hanover circled Zanatta to the quarter in :28 to lead while Mcseaside was reined in to race third. Coasting through a :56 half, Bellisima Hanover soon faced a challenge from Mcseaside to the far turn while Zanatta raced on a tight hold in a locked pocket. Mcseaside cleared to lead and began separating from the field by three-quarters in 1:24 to turn for home with an open-length lead. The seas parted for Zanatta and she gave futile pursuit to narrow on the winner’s margin, but to still finish second beaten a length. Caviart Marcella finished third and To All A Goodnight took fourth.
“[She’s] obviously a nice filly,” Dunn said after the race. “I’m lucky I picked up the drive on her – not really [a] big [filly], but game. She was a little aggressive, [so] I thought if I started her up too early in the mile, she was probably going to be a little tired. We came out sort of at the half and [I] tried to get her relaxed a little bit. We moved on from there – she got a little lonely on the straight but held on good.”
Mcseaside, a daughter of Downbytheseaside, won her third race from eight starts and pushed her bankroll to $283,364 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Beasty LLC, J&T Silva Stables and Knox Services LLC. She paid $3.16 to win.
Each division of the Perfect Sting International Stallion Stakes was sponsored by the Perfect Sting Syndicate and Brittany Farms / Val D’or Farms.
Eight Is Enough In International Stallion Stakes
Shoes came off Volume Eight and he threw down the gauntlets to pull a 38-1 upset in the second of three $290,400 International Stallion Stake (ISS) divisions for freshman trotting colts and geldings on Friday afternoon (Oct. 7) at The Red Mile.
Driver Andy McCarthy motored Volume Eight from post seven to the top and soon settled for the pocket when Gates Hanover circled to lead approaching a :29 first quarter. The Noel Daley-trained son of Chapter Seven drafted through a :57.1 half and stayed put as Winners Bet stalled first over on the rim around the final turn. Past three-quarters in 1:25.1, Gates Hanover came under pressure as McCarthy eased Volume Eight from the pegs and vaulted clear to a 2-1/2-length win over a levelled-out Winners Bet with French Wine rallying for third and Upstaged grabbing fourth.
“[He’s] still a little green, but I knew he had a lot of speed,” Andy McCarthy said after the race. “And then sir Noel said today ‘Maybe just leave with him and see what happens.’ I’m like, ‘Oh I’ll check it out,’ but then I went out and I’d seen he was barefoot; I went, ‘Yep, let’s do it.’”
Co-owner John Fodera also said “I was just hoping to get a cheque. I know Noel and Andy really like the horse a lot – always raising them comfortably and teaching them – but I think he learned a lot today just leaving out of there and having that gate speed and finishing even better. So it was a shock to me.”
Returning $79.94 to win, the victory counts as the third from five starts in Volume Eight’s career, which now places his bankroll at $79,815 for owners Noel Daley, Mario Mazza, Joe Sbrocco and La Express And Jaf Racing. He won the ISS split named “The Six Pack”, presented by the Six Pack Syndicate and Deo Volente Farms.
With 9-5 favourite Kilmister breaking stride at the start, Excalibur Bi capitalized to score a 1:53 victory in the first ISS division.
Also in rein to Andy McCarthy, Excalibur Bi swept to the top from third after a :27.4 first quarter to pocket early leader Purple Lord. The Tom Cancelliere-trained son of Muscle Hill cruised up the backside to a :57.4 half and quickened proceedings to three-quarters in 1:26.2 before straightening for the sprint home and uncorking a :26.3 final quarter to win by a length. Purple Lord settled for second with Point Of Perfect third and Cecil Hanover finishing fourth.
“Yeah, he was good, he's been coming along great,” McCarthy said after the race. “Tom [Cancelliere] has done a great job with him. It’s has always been a ‘no pressure’ deal with it, just bring him along the way. He thinks right, and I probably over-drove him a couple of starts back and figured out we need to reset. But it was good the way it worked out today, I got to use him [and] save him until the back half.”
Excalibur Bi competes for owner John Cancelliere. He won his second race from eight starts and has now banked $126,530. He paid $5.68 to win in the ISS division named “The Muscle Hill”, presented by the Muscle Hill Syndicate and Southwind Farms.
Espresso landed back-to-back Grand Circuit victories when slipping up the cones to take the third ISS division in 1:54.
Crown, the 4-5 favourite, charged to the top while Espresso obliged to race in the slipstream through a :28.3 first quarter. Little pressure mounted on Crown up the backside with Prince Of Honor steadily angling off the pegs but only advancing slightly after a :57.4 half and to three-quarters in 1:26.2. Turning for home, Crown began drifting from the pylons, which created a wide-enough gap for Espresso to spurt through and grab the lead in the final sixteenth. Crown settled for second, beaten a head, with Kierkegaard K taking third and Herodotus finishing fourth.
“We love coming down here and racing at The Red Mile with a dual- eligible horse,” winning trainer Julie Miller said after the race. “We decided to bring him here instead of the New York circuit, and he’s just really matured and just loving the track here.”
Winning his fifth race from nine starts, Espresso has now earned $210,900 for owners Andy Miller Stable, Lawrence Willinger, Mortgage Boys Stable and L Berg Inc. The Chapter Seven gelding returned $7.94 to win in taking the ISS division named “The Chapter Seven”, presented by the Chapter Seven Syndicate and Blue Chip Farms.
Live harness acing resumes at The Red Mile on Saturday (Oct. 8) with a 10-race card highlighted by three divisions of the $317,700 International Stallion Stallion Stakes, for freshman trotting fillies, and three divisions of the $299,100 Tall Dark Stranger International Stallion Stakes, for freshman pacing colts and geldings. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
(Red Mile)