Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel hosted eight $136,986 finals of the Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) for two- and three-year-olds on Sunday, July 14, with the track record for three-year-old trotting fillies destroyed when odds-on choice Woman Of Passion won her KYSS final convincingly early on the card.
Woman Of Passion (Scott Zeron) zipped for the lead out of post six and cleared to the top past a :26.3 first quarter before gearing down for a breather to a :55.3 half. As the tempo softened, Black Velvet As (Marvin Luna) angled first over out of third and marched after Woman Of Passion moving to three-quarters in 1:23.4. Black Velvet As remained persistent around the final turn but begrudgingly gave way off the turn to Woman Of Passion, who then strode in a winner by one length in 1:51.4. Tove Palema (Andy Miller) settled for third in a tight photo with Black Velvet As and Stella Volo (Dexter Dunn) checked in fourth.
The winner's 1:51.4 mile lowered the track record for sophomore trotting fillies of 1:53 previously held in a three-way tie between Blue Bayou Deo, Mambacita and Youhadmeathalo.
Carter Pinske trains Woman Of Passion, a daughter of Walner out of the Donato Hanover mare Womans Will, for owner/breeder Al Libfeld. Woman Of Passion won her seventh race from 16 starts and has now banked $210,797. She paid $3.70 to win.
Zeron led all drivers in KYSS action with a total of three wins in the finals. After scoring with Woman Of Passion, he capitalized off a heated tempo with Defining Moment to win the three-year-old filly pace in 1:50.2. Getting away fifth, Defining Moment stayed steady while odds-on favourite Bath Bomb (Yannick Gingras) and Direction (Todd McCarthy) quarrelled through opening fractions of :26 and :53.4. Defining Moment moved wide to catch Direction's cover briefly up the backside before pouncing to grab the lead from Bath Bomb past three-quarters in 1:21.4 and draw away from her competition. Defining Moment strolled in a 2-3/4-length winner over Capytreach (Andy Miller) rallying down the center of the track for second. Real Deal Lindy (Marcus Miller) caught the live tow to take third and Bath Bomb held fourth.
A filly by JK Endofanera out of the Bettors Delight mare Crucial Moment, Defining Moment collected her fifth win from 16 starts and has now earned $158,230 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino and Larry Karr. She paid $11.02 to win. Defining Moment was the second of trainer Ron Burke's three wins in KYSS finals.
Zeron's third KYSS win of the day came in the three-year-old colt pace when he powered off a pocket ride with Eric Patalan trainee Arson to a 1:50.1 score. Arson pushed for position from the pylon post and perched into the pocket behind Total Stranger (Yannick Gingras) while he cut a quick clip of :26.2, :54.2 and 1:22. Zeron pulled Arson out of the pocket midway up the backstretch, powered to the lead through the final turn and carried his speed all through the lane to win by 1-3/4 lengths over Swaggy Cal (Dexter Dunn), who closed from second over for second. Better Is Nice (Andy McCarthy), the 6-5 favourite, also closed to take third and Copperfield (Marcus Miller) came from near last for fourth.
Arson, a colt by Captaintreacherous out of the Western Hanover mare Western Montana, has now won 13 races from 20 starts and banked $293,606 for owners TheStable Arson Group and Hutchison Harness LLC. He paid $4.80 to win.
Burke's KYSS hat trick began in the first final of the afternoon when Lew Hauber (Dexter Dunn) lasted on the lead to take the two-year-old colt pace in 1:52.3. Dunn secured the top with Lew Hauber to a :27.3 first quarter and carved a sensible tempo of :56.2 and 1:24.3 while then withstanding a late charge from first-over Docs Buddy (Andy McCarthy) to win by a half length at the beam. Realmenwearblu (Yannick Gingras) sat a pocket trip for third and Dark Soul (Lewayne Miller) took fourth.
A homebred Sweet Lou colt out of the Third Straight mare Lakeisha Hall, Lew Hauber races for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Jack Piatt II. He's now unbeaten from three starts and has earned $102,739. Lew Hauber paid $3.42 to win.
Burke's other win came as a stunner when Karma (Todd McCarthy) surged by 1-9 favourite Skywalker Sea to win the two-year-old filly pace in 1:52.1. Skywalker Sea failed to settle once clearing the lead past a :26.4 first quarter and remained headstrong through a :55 half and 1:22.2 three-quarters. On fumes into the lane, Skywalker Sea endured a blitz from Karma as she kicked out of third and went by the weary pacesetter to win by 2-1/4 lengths. Accede (Dexter Dunn) finished third and Hip Shot (Scott Zeron) faltered off a pocket trip for fourth.
Karma, a daughter of Tall Dark Stranger out of the American Ideal mare Alexis Faith, won her first race in just her second start and has now earned $72,877 for owners Thomas and Scott Dillon. She paid $52.26 to win.
Todd McCarthy also scored back-to-back KYSS final wins when he guided Carter Pinske trainee Bank On Me to a narrow front-stepping win in the two-year-old colt trot. McCarthy secured the lead with Bank On Me out of post six past a :27 first quarter and held command as he slowed tremendously to a :58 half. He accelerated up the backside to click past three-quarters in 1:27.3 but soon faced a fierce pocket-popping challenge in the stretch from Memento Mori (Scott Zeron). Bank On Me kept chugging through the lane as Memento Mori surged and clung to a nose win at the beam in 1:57.1 with Louises Legacy (Marcus Miller) saving ground to grab third from Shoe Shine Willie (Dexter Dunn) in fourth.
Bank On Me, a gelding by Chapter Seven from the Yankee Glide mare Overdraft Volo, broke his maiden in his second start and has now earned $82,192 for owners Pinske Stables, Enzed Racing Stable Inc. and Lizanne Waples. He paid $14.08 to win.
Hung Over (Marvin Luna) notched a front-stepping win in the three-year-old colt trot with a 1:54 mile. Luna swooped to the point past a :27.3 first quarter and cruised through middle sectionals of :57.4 and 1:25.4 while Mister Dad (Dexter Dunn) climbed first over from third to try and cut into the loose leader's margin. Mister Dad eventually levelled off from his bid through the final turn, leaving Hung Over to coast in a two-length winner over Mister Dad with International Law (Marcus Miller) closing for third and Crown Monarch (Andy McCarthy) finishing fourth.
Bob Stewart trains Hung Over, a colt by Creatine out of the Yankee Glide mare Drunkard's Dream. He's now won seven times from 15 starts and earned $264,694 for owners Bluestone Farms LLC and Lynda Stewart. He paid $7.76 to win.
Verlin Yoder also survived on the lead with Yo Tillie as she rolled in a 1:54.2 winner in the two-year-old filly trot. Yo Tillie took control from Stacking Green (Scott Zeron) past a :27.3 first quarter and motored on an uncontested lead to a :56.4 half and 1:25.2 three-quarters. Voguish (Yannick Gingras), the 6-5 favourite, attempted to make inroads first over but folded turning for home as Yo Tillie gathered her speed and set down for the line. Aperfect Annie (Todd McCarthy) uncoiled a wicked rally down the center of the track late, prompting Yoder to give Yo Tillie a few taps of the whip to keep her to task and to hold on by a half length at the beam. Stacking Green took third and Sound Judgement (Jim Oscarsson) finished fourth.
Yo Tillie, a daughter of Tactical Landing out of the Triumphant Caviar mare Consolidator, races for owner/trainer Verlin Yoder. She's now unbeaten from four starts and has banked $129,451. Yo Tillie paid $6.58 to win.
Chase H Hanover (Todd McCarthy) rolled down the road in the $82,192 Open Handicap Pace, going insurmountable speed in progress to a 6-1/2 length win in 1:49 and earn millionaire status. McCarthy slid to the lead with the Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee past a :26 first quarter and chopped a :54 half an 1:21.1 three-quarters to win over Western Era (Marcus Miller) and pocket-chaser For Once Inmy Life (Andy McCarthy). Little Rocket Man (John DeLong) came from near last to finish fifth while Admiral Hill (Yannick Gingras) took back from his outside post, but settled for seventh after a trip mired in traffic. Chase H Hanover, a six-year-old gelding by Captaintreacherous out of Calgary Hanover, races for owners Odds On Racing and Carl Howard.
Burke led all trainers on Sunday's card. Along with his hat trick in the KYSS finals, Burke won in the opener with Kimpanzee (Yannick Gingras) in 1:56.3 to make it four wins on the day.
Live harness racing resumes at Oak Grove on Monday, July 15 with a first-race post time at 3 p.m. (EDT). Monday's card will feature a Late Pick 4 carryover, starting in Race 9, of $2,066.07 and a Super High-5 carryover, in Race 12, of $400.80.
(With files from Oak Grove)