Better Is Nice, last season's Kentucky Sire Stakes sophomore male pacing champion, makes his four-year-old debut against four foes in a Kentucky Sire Stakes preliminary event on Monday, April 21 at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel, one of five $50,000 USD first-round series events on the 13-race program.
Better Is Nice, who banked $713,689 while winning five of 18 starts as a three-year-old and took his mark of 1:48 in his victory over Women Layer and Nuclear in the $540,541 Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship in September, has been installed the 6-5 morning line favourite in his first-round division for four-year-old male pacers, carded as race three. Andy McCarthy occupies his usual seat behind the Bettors Wish-Thatsoveryverynice entire for trainer Tony Alagna, and the pair will start from post four in the five-horse field. Nuclear, the 8-5 second choice after winning two of five starts this season, starts from the inner most post with Trace Tetrick driving for trainer Ron Burke.
The other four-year-old male pacing division is carded as race eight, with 12-time winner Women Layer headlining a field of six after three victorious qualifiers at Miami Valley for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. Todd McCarthy will drive the Sweet Lou-Loreenas Ruffian gelding, who has been made the 6-5 early favourite in the field of six, from post one.
The four-year-old mare trotting division attracted 10 entrants, and they will all square off in race five. Woman Of Passion, a 10-time winner as a three-year-old with a mark of 1:50.1 taken at the Red Mile, is the 5-2 early favourite with Todd McCarthy driving for trainer Carter Pinske.
Nancy Takter trainee Bargain (post three, Dexter Dunn, 2-1) and Ron Burke trainee Ordained (post eight, Yannick Gingras, 3-1) lead a field of eight in the four-year-old male trot, carded as race seven; and Asweetbeachhere (post six, Todd McCarthy, 3-1) squares off against Cumberland Run series champion Fearless Bettor (post nine, David Miller, 7-2) and eight other foes in the four-year-old mare pace, carded as race nine.
The program also features a pair of $30,000 USD Open Handicap events for pacers, as well as four divisions of a mini series for $10,000 claiming pacers sprinting five-eighths of a mile. On the wagering front, there is a $1,741.63 carryover in the 20-cent Pick-5 (Races 3-7). First post is 1:45 p.m. (CDT).
(With files from Oak Grove)