Returning divisional Dan Patch Award winner Yo Tillie made her four-year-old bow with a comfortable victory in the lone $68,493 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) contest for four-year-old trotting mares on Monday, April 27 at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.
R Dutchess (Tim Tetrick) fired for the lead to the inside of Yo Tillie (Todd McCarthy), then relinquished control to the favourite past a :27.1 first quarter. Yo Tillie coasted to a :57.4 half and gradually upped the tempo into the backstretch as Winnpanzee (Yannick Gingras) advanced uncovered out of fourth. Winnpanzee reached for the leader passing three-quarters in 1:25.4 and remained at her throat into the stretch, but Yo Tillie easily staved off the pressure in a sprint to the finish of a 1:53.2 mile for the win by a half-length. Voguish (Dexter Dunn) saved ground for third.
Yo Tillie, a winner in a KYSS series at Oak Grove as a two-year-old when campaigned by Verlin Yoder, competes for trainer Andrew Harris, who shares ownership with William Pollock and Bruce Areman. The daughter of Tactical Landing-Consolidator, a defending Breeders Crown champion, won her 20th race from 25 starts and has now earned $1,805,959. She paid $2.94 to win.
Team Harris also opened the day's — and year's — KYSS action with a victory by offseason acquisition Unreasonable, who won a KYSS series at Oak Grove as a three-year-old. In the first split for four-year-old pacing mares, the daughter of Huntsville-Roaring To Go grinded uncovered on the rim after steep fractions of :26 and :54.1 cut by Duration (David Miller), advancing into a sprint to three-quarters in 1:21.1. Unreasonable then surged to the front for Dexter Dunn and held her ground for a 1:49.2 win as the 2-5 favourite. Rose (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) burst free from a pocket trip to finish a fast-closing second by 2-1/4 lengths, with Odds On Chesapeake (Todd McCarthy) rallying from second-over for third.
Unreasonable, making her four-year-old bow, won her 12th race from 27 lifetime starts and added to her bankroll now worth $1,029,765. She's owned by Pollock, Areman and Harris. The win price was $2.86.
Brett Pelling pupil Three Times Bettor scored in the other KYSS division for four-year-old pacing mares. Dunn circled his charge to the lead after a :26.2 first quarter and guided her through middle fractions of :55.3 and 1:22 en route to a 1:49.1 victory by 2-1/4 lengths over pocket-chaser Champagne Room (Yannick Gingras). Caviart Delight (Todd McCarthy) followed in third.
Three Times Bettor, a daughter of Bettors Delight-Three Times A Lady, won for the 10th time from career 18 starts for owner Thaddeus Wier and has now earned $276,027. She paid $4.38 to win in her seasonal debut.
Higher Ground (David Miller) foiled a potential Ron Burke sweep of the KYSS events for four-year-old pacing horses and geldings when downing 6-5 favourite Harrisburg Heist (Yannick Gingras) in the closing strides of a 1:50.3 mile in the first division. After Harrisburg Heist posted splits of :27.1 and :56.1 on the lead, Miller lifted Higher Ground out of fourth and fired him forward to press the leader to three-quarters in 1:22.3. Higher Ground persisted against the pacesetter spinning for home and eventually edged past him in the closing strides for a half-length win. Harrisburg Heist held second while Fusion (Todd McCarthy) rallied from second-over for third.
Michael Hitchcock trains Higher Ground, a son of Always B Miki-Shebesailin, for owners William Hartt and H&H Stable. The gelding took his fifth win from nine starts this season and his ninth from 31 starts in his career, upping his earnings to $274,104. He paid $11.12 to win.
Burke trainee Banderas later delivered with authority in the second KYSS split for four-year-old pacing males in a 1:50 mile as the 1-5 favourite. The chalk swept to the point for Yannick Gingras after a :26.2 first quarter cut by Delray Beach (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) and carried his speed to a :54.3 half and 1:22.2 three-quarters. Confronted by first-over Handsome Stranger (Andy McCarthy) moving to the last turn, Gingras gave his charge the cue to sprint, and Banderas promptly peeled away from the competition to register a 3-1/2-length win. Delray Beach held second with Somelousomewhere (Tim Tetrick) rallying from second-over for third.
A son of Tall Dark Stranger-Reflect With Me, Banderas bagged his fourth win from five starts this season and his ninth win from 36 starts in his career, raising his bankroll to $356,214. The stallion is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Frank Canzone, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Joe Di Scala Jr. He paid $2.28 to win.
Carter Pinske's speedy son of Greenshoe-Primary Target, Go Dog Go, took top honours of the two KYSS splits for four-year-old trotting horses and geldings with a game 1:52.4 win in his seasonal debut. Todd McCarthy floated forward with the stallion to take the lead briefly past a :28 first quarter but was soon looped by longshot Youngblood (Archie Buford) heading past three-eighths, prompting Go Dog Go to slip off the pylons and retake the lead heading to a :57 half. Once back in front, Go Dog Go strode comfortably to three-quarters in 1:24.2 and to a 2-1/4-length victory. He was chased by Gimpanzee Dancer (David Miller), who made a big three-wide brush up the backstretch and settled for second. Royal Comet (Marvin Luna) closed for third.
Go Dog Go, an eight-time winner from 23 lifetime starts, has now earned $875,723 for owners Wiesman Farms LLC and Al Libfeld. He paid $3.42 to win.
My Degenerate (Tyler Miller) went down the road from the widest draw in the other KYSS split for four-year-old trotting males to pull a slight upset in 1:53.3. He crossed over to the lead after a :27 first quarter and faced little threat through middle sectionals of :56.2 and 1:24.2 before sealing the win by three lengths. Vugoo (David Miller) charged furiously from last to take second while pocket-sitter Onemore Volo (Todd McCarthy) held third.
Julie Miller trains My Degenerate, a gelding by Muscle Hill-Decadence, for owners Knutsson Trotting Inc., Little E LLC, Lindy Farms of Connecticut and Andy Miller Stable Inc. The winner improved to two-for-two this year and tallied his eighth victory from 29 starts, bumping up his career earnings to $503,010. The win payout was $14.06.
The Monday card at Oak Grove also featured a pair of $34,247 prep races for the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks, which will have eliminations alongside the inaugural Oak Grove Trotting Derby on Monday, May 4. Driver Anthony MacDonald and trainer Eric Patalan swept the pair of preps with Jailbird Jog (1:54, $2.52) and Degas (1:53.4, $27.62). Jailbird Jog, a daughter of Tactical Landing-Miss Don Fanucci S, races for owners Thestable Jailbird Jog, P23 Bloodstock and Hutchison Harness LLC, and Degas competes for owner Thestable Degas Group.
Racing at Oak Grove resumes on Tuesday with a 14-race card headlined by a $30,000 USD Open Handicap Trot, carded as Race 6. First-race post time is 1:10 p.m. (CDT).
(Oak Grove)