Erv Miller trainee Im Sir Blake A survived a persistent first-over grind and won going away as the odds-on favourite in the $28,000 Open Handicap Pace at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel on Sunday afternoon (May 21).
Driver Atlee Bender floated Im Sir Blake A from his inside draw and settled into third while Rock It Out (driven by Devon Tharps) pushed to take the top past a :26.2 first quarter. Dalby Hanover (Tyler Shehan) took back into the pocket for only a second and swung back off the cones to reclaim the lead before the second turn and a :56.1 half. Isitlikeitlooks (Joey Putnam) began a first-over attack out of fifth, which forced Im Sir Blake A to start rolling.
Bender flushed Im Sir Blake A to race first over up the backside and dug into Dalby Hanover through three-quarters in 1:24.1. The pair matched strides through the final turn before Im Sir Blake A bounded clear from Dalby Hanover upon straightening for the finish, and the 2-5 favourite slid clear to a 1-3/4-length victory in 1:51. Rock It Out gave chase to finish third and Isitlikeitlooks took fourth.
Im Sir Blake A, an eight-year-old gelding by Alta Christiano N, won his 28th race from 91 starts and has now banked $372,127. Doug Overhiser owns the gelding who paid $2.92 to win.
A pair of mini series held finals on the Sunday card. The $16,000 final for non-winners of two was snagged by team Avenatti with 11-1 shot Kingofmyheart (1:55.2 winning mile; $24.48 to win), who sat off a contested pace -- overtaken by odds-on favourite Era Of Love -- before pouncing into action and winning by 1-1/4 lengths. Joey Putnam applied a picture-perfect drive in the $24,000 final for non-winners of two fillies and mares behind even-money favourite Mystic Melissa (1:53; $4.28), who led from the quarter pole to the finish pole and won by 3-1/4 lengths.
Amateurs Have Race Double Exacta At Oak Grove
The United States Harness Drivers Club (USHDC), enjoying their new reincarnation in Kentucky at Oak Grove Racing and Gaming, had a rare pari-mutuel event in harness racing history on Sunday as their two events produced a Tony Dinges-Dein Spriggs exacta in each race.
The first event, a $12,000 USHDC Pace, went to Sports Teller for Dinges in 1:54.2, edging past Spriggs and Tuapeka Jessie A in a race where the amateurs used their true professionalism to avoid a breaker — Feelin Like Winner — after the half mile mark.
Meant Tobe Shooter, with Darryl Gates, was placed third while Joe McDude, going an extra long journey for Jafari Frazier, was moved up a notch to fourth while the veteran Feelin Like Winner, recovering from that aforementioned miscue, was moved down from third to fifth for Carson Conrad.
In a post-race interview, Dinges related, “I really don’t know how I avoided the breaker. When you’re on the racetrack and situations arise, your split-second reactions take over and, in this case, it turned out OK…very thankful!”
Dinges owns and trains the winner, a new arrival in the barn, who has a win and a pair of “seconds” in his three race history here in Kentucky.
The winner paid $11.24 and the Dinges-Spriggs $1 exacta paid $11.29.
A few races later as the sun was beginning to set, Dinges gave the Aussie-bred Gunrneedabgrboat A a gutsy drive from an outside post to score in an all foreign finish with Britain’s Ayr Pioneer GB second for Spriggs and Border Patrol A next for Julie Whitman. Skyway Three Ball, handled by Denarius Dortch, was fourth while Uncle Si, guided by Jafari Frazier earned the final cheque.
Gunrneedabgrboat, also a new tenant in the Bluegrass State, stopped the clock in 1:55.1 and earned his second win of the year — first for trainer Trey Brinson and owner Steve McDaniel Jr.
In that event, Dinges sent the rugged nine-year-old Gunrneedabgrboat surging off the wings but was still “double-bubbled” past the opener inn :27.3. After getting cover from Ayr Pioneer and Spriggs, the winner made his next move turning for home and won by a length, paying $14.50 to his faithful.
That Dinges-Spriggs exacta paid $35.02 and Gunrneedabgrboat sent his career bankroll to $181,882—$153,248 earned here in the States since his 2020 arrival.
Racing continues at Oak Grove on Monday, May 22 with a plethora of betting opportunities. The Early Pick 5 again went unclaimed, so a triple carryover goes into Monday's sequence worth $2,878 and starts in Race 1. The Early Pick 4 again went unsolved, so that sequence features a double carryover totalling $2,258 and starts in Race 3. And then the Late Pick 5 was not hit, so that sequence has a double carryover worth $1,380 and starts in Race 6.
The racing schedule at Oak Grove has also been amended. Oak Grove has cancelled the race card slated for next Tuesday, May 30 and have added race dates for Sunday, July 9 and Monday, July 10, which will serve as the final weekend of racing for the 2023 meet.
First-race post time at Oak Grove is 3 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. EDT).
(Oak Grove / USHDC)