While first-leg pacing winners I Did It Myway and Boudoir Hanover promise to be heavy favourites in their respective $50,000 second-round Kentucky Standardbred Development Fund (KSDF) stakes events for four-year-olds on Monday, May 1 at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel, Iwont Backdown As will have a host of fresh competition looking to topple him in the male trot.
Leading the charge is Keg Stand, who has been installed the 6-5 morning line favourite in the nine-horse event, carded as the second of 12 races on Monday's card. The runner-up in last year's Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final, the Nancy Takter trainee enters off a powerful 1:52.4 win in his seasonal debut at Harrah's Philadelphia on April 23 after amassing $215,736 in his three-year-old season. Yannick Gingras is listed to drive the son of Bar Hopping from post two.
Buckeye champion Longshot is the 9-2 second choice from the coveted pole position and is poised to make his four-year-old debut following a pair of victorious qualifiers at MGM Northfield Park. A 1:54.2 winner in last year's Ohio Sires Stakes final, Longshot looks to build off a nine-win sophomore season and retains the services of usual driver Chris Lems. Scott Cox trains the gelded son of Long Tom.
Other notable newcomers include Breeders Crown starter Golden Wall As (Todd McCarthy, post eight, 5-1) and TNT Blue Chip (Andy McCarthy, post nine, 8-1), who carries a five-race winning streak in from Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
In the mare trot, carded as race four, first-round winner Eternal Lee (Andy McCarthy) will retain early favouritism at 2-1 for trainer Roger Cullipher, but the 11-time winner will be met by eight rivals, including the debuting Yanaba. After winning four races and earning $146,475 last season under the care of Dan Daley, the daughter of Trixton debuts for trainer Jack Rice off a victorious 1:59.2 qualifier at Oak Grove. Local leading reinsman John MacDonald will drive Yanaba from post two.
All 10 entrants from last week's mare pace are slated to return in second-round action (race six), with defending winner Boudoir Hanover (Todd McCarthy, post three) leading a quartet of Tony Alagna trainees as the 7-5 morning line choice. Likewise, seven of the nine male pacers that competed in the first round come back for round two (race eight), with Breeders Crown runner-up I Did It Myway (Andy McCarthy, post one) aiming to build on his 1:50 win in the opening leg.
The Kentucky Standardbred Development Fund four-year-old series all conclude with $150,000 championship events on May 29.
First post for Monday's program at Oak Grove is 3 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. EDT).
(Oak Grove; Photo of Keg Stand winning last year at The Meadows)