All four Kentucky Sire Stakes spring series champions — Harrisburg Heist, Gimpanzee Dancer, Three Times Bettor and Aperfect Annie — will look to begin their respective summer series on a winning note as Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel plays host to six first-round $50,000 USD Kentucky Sire Stakes events for four-year-olds on Monday (May 25).
Harrisburg Heist has been installed as the 3-5 morning-line favourite in the first of two $50,000 USD events for pacing males, carded as Race 6 which starts the $1 Pick 4 sequence featuring a 15 percent takeout. After being just edged by Higher Ground in the first round of the spring series, the Downbytheseaside-Cashaway gelding bounced back with two consecutive wins, including a 1:48.4 drubbing of stablemate Banderas in the $136,986 final, held May 16. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. will once again drive Harrisburg Heist, who starts from post 5 in the five-horse field, for trainer Ron Burke.
Banderas, on the strength of his second-place finish in the spring final, is the 8-5 early favourite in the second split, carded as Race 7. The son of Tall Dark Stranger-Reflect With Me is already a four-time winner this season, rising to the local Open 2 ranks before taking his lifetime mark of 1:50 in the first round of the spring series. Yannick Gingras will drive Banderas, and the pair will start from post 1 in the six-horse field.
Gimpanzee Dancer headlines the male trotting ranks off his 2-1/4-length, 1:51.3 victory in the May 16 spring final, and he will start from post 5 in the second division (Race 10) as the even-money favourite. The Chris Beaver trainee will get a new driver in the form of Dexter Dunn. In the first division (Race 8), Go Dog Go looks to make amends after breaking stride as the odds-on favourite in the spring final. Todd McCarthy will drive the Carter Pinske trainee, who has been made the 4-5 early favourite after open-length wins in both of his spring preliminaries, from post 5 in the field of six.
Spring champ Three Times Bettor headlines the lone first-round event for pacing mares, which features seven of the eight entrants in the spring final and is carded as Race 11. The Brett Pelling-trained daughter of Bettors Delight-Three Times A Lady posted a lifetime-best 1:48.3 clocking in the spring final after using a first-over attack to wear down pacesetter Odds On Chesapeake, retains the driving services of Dunn, and will start from post 6 in the eight-mare field as the even-money favourite. Her biggest threat likely comes from Unreasonable, who rallied to victory in both prelims before falling just short in the final and is the 5-2 early second choice. Daniel Dubé will drive the Huntsville-Roaring To Go mare from post 8.
The mare trot, carded as Race 9, is marked by the conspicuous absence of Yo Tillie, who was narrowly upset on May 16 by Aperfect Annie, who rode the pocket to a 58-1 score. Todd McCarthy drives the Carter Pinske trainee from post 2 in the field of seven, which also features the four-year-old debut of Elegantimage winner Lasting Dream (Dubé, post 7, 2-1).
Preliminary action will continue on June 1 and 15 before a quartet of $150,000 USD finals on June 22.
On the wagering front, there is a $1,225 USD carryover in the 20-cent Late Pick-5, which has been shifted to comprise Races 10-14 and features a takeout of 15 percent. First post for Monday's 14-race card is 1:10 p.m. (CDT).
(With files from Oak Grove; Photo of Harrisburg Heist)