In a déjà vu effort, Hambletonian champion Tactical Approach got locked at the pylons but had the red seas of clay open to the inside to give him room to dart and grab the lead in the closing strides of the $450,000 Kentucky Futurity, another Trotting Triple Crown event, on Sunday, Oct. 8 at The Red Mile.
Driver Scott Zeron, unlike in his Hambletonian win earlier this year, sent Tactical Approach forward to a :27.2 first quarter, but soon got mired in a shuffle for the lead. Kilmister came first for the front from post 10 and cleared to the backstretch before yielding to stablemate Oh Well, who had stablemate Air Power on cover moving to a :55.1 half. Tactical Approach then found himself shuffled to sixth and locked inside to the far turn.
Air Power took a bad step first-over and jumped stride, leaving Oh Well on the lead and French Wine uncovered. French Wine took his shot at Oh Well through three-quarters in 1:23.4 and forged to a two-length lead coming into the stretch. Oh Well and Kilmister angled off the pylons to take their shots, which paved the way for Tactical Approach to zip through the inside. French Wine trotted to the finish on fumes and drifted just enough to create the final opening for Zeron to sneak through and snag the prize by a head in 1:52 flat. Celebrity Bambino rallied off a shuffle from last to finish third and Kilmister took fourth.
“I was a little late to the car, which actually got him out on the right foot a lot quicker than I thought I would, putting me in an absolute horrible position,” said Zeron afterwards. “There was nothing really I could do. It hasn’t been great on the front today, so those were the cards we were dealt. I was certainly out of position in the middle of the last turn and the horse overcame it. He made it quite thrilling.”
“I was faithful until the end,” winning trainer Nancy Takter said with a laugh when asked about Tactical Approach’s eventful trip. “The Hambletonian was really when he did start learning to race and Scott would agree that he’s just getting better and better every start now. We were playing with the idea of going to Canada [for the Canadian Trotting Classic], but we vetoed that idea because we just wanted to keep him here and get him ready for the Kentucky Futurity. Now onto the Breeders Crown.”
Tactical Approach won his 10th race from 20 starts and has now entered millionaire’s row with $1,013,989 in the bank for owners John Fielding, Robert LeBlanc and Joe Sbrocco And JAF Racing.
The colt by Tactical Landing won the last two legs of this year’s Trotting Triple Crown, having scored a similar pylon-skimming upset in the $1 million Hambletonian on Aug. 5.
Sent off as the 3-5 favourite on Sunday, he paid $3.44 to win.
Prince Of Honor won the photo in the $50,000 Kentucky Futurity Consolation earlier in the card for Filly Futurity-winning trainer Carter Pinske and driver Todd McCarthy. McCarthy launched the gelding into action after sitting fourth through the first three-quarters of a mile to put a neck in front of pocket-popper Djimon in 1:52.1 with Espresso rallying from near last for third. The son of Walner competes for owner Pinske Stables and David Hoese. He paid $4.16 to win.
The 2023 Kentucky Futurity was presented by Hunterton Farms, Stoner Manor Inc. and Menhammer Stuteri AB.
(With files from The Red Mile)