A total of 26 two-year-olds will square off in first-round Early Kentucky Sire Stakes action on Monday, June 12 at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel, with one $25,000 event carded for each gait and sex.
Chris Beaver accounts for five entrants in Monday's stakes for rookies, including four in the two-year-old filly trot, carded as race six. But his quartet will face a tough tandem starting from the innermost posts in Somthintobelievein and Readly Success, both of whom won their lone qualifiers faster than 2:00. Somthintobelievein, an $85,000 Lexington purchase for Pollack Racing and trainer Jeff Cullipher, capped her June 3 qualifier at Harrah's Hoosier Park with a :27.2 final quarter, finishing her mile 8-1/4 lengths clear in 1:58.1 and earning 2-1 early favouritism. Tim Tetrick drives the daughter of Father Patrick-I Believe from post one. Readly Success, the 3-1 second choice from post two, is one of two starters for trainer Julie Miller in the field. Windsong Stable's homebred daughter of Readly Express-Sweetspellosuccess won her lone qualifier at Gaitway Farm, in New Jersey, by a measured two lengths in 1:59, and she retains Andy Miller at the helm.
A field of five — including three from the Tony Dinges stable — meet in the two-year-old filly pace (race one). Two of Dinges' trainees, Highway Queen (Joey Putnam, post one) and Barefoot Belle (John MacDonald, post four) posted winning qualifiers, as did Julie Miller trainee Queen B And Me (Andy Miller, post three), who has been installed the 8-5 early choice after a 1:58.1 winning trial at Oak Grove on June 5.
The colt trot (race three) attracted a full field of eight, including two starters for TheStable.ca: 5-2 morning line favourite Pick Pocket (Anthony MacDonald, post four), a 1:58.3 winner in a Northfield qualifier on June 1, and Militant (John MacDonald, post two). Also of note is Mont Saint Michel (Joey Putnam, post seven), who earned second favouritism at 4-1 by way of two wins in the Kentucky Proud Series at the commonwealth's fairs leading up to Monday's outing.
The colt pace (race eight) shapes up as a potential showdown between Tua Many Captains and Arson, both of whom paced :27.4 final quarters in their most recent qualifiers. Tua Many Captains, whose $130,000 yearling sale price is the highest among Monday's starters, qualified in 1:55.4 at Oak Grove on June 5 and has been installed the 2-1 morning line favourite from post two. Andy Miller drives the son of Captaintreacherous-Time On My Hands for Julie Miller and Our Three Sons Stable. Arson (Anthony MacDonald, post five), racing for TheStable.ca, set all the pace in his 1:58 qualifying win at Northfield on June 1 and is the 5-2 second choice.
The card also features a $28,000 Open Trot, which will see the event's three most recent winners — Its A Herbie, Sweet Mr Pinetucky and Stride The Hill — start from the outermost posts in the field of eight.
First post for Monday's nine-race card at Oak Grove is 3 p.m. CDT. As always, fans and horseplayers can access free handicapping resources via the track's website at oakgrovegaming.com.
(Oak Grove)