Chris Beaver trainee Endurance finished with a flourish to grab fourth in his debut, but driver Andy McCarthy hustled the colt to the point to then strolled around the track under wraps to set a track record for two-year-old trotting colts when winning his $54,054 split of Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Monday afternoon (July 7).
Leaving from post six, McCarthy endured a three-wide brush through a :27.3 first quarter to place Endurance on the helm while Lethal Legacy (driven by Todd McCarthy) obliged for the pocket ride. Endurance carved a :56.4 half and cruised to three-quarters in 1:26 before receiving a few taps of the whip and accelerating for home. He pulled well clear of his competition in the lane and sailed to a 3-1/2-length win over longshot Silverstein (David Miller), who closed for second, with Lethal Legacy tiring to third and Negotiation (Scott Zeron) checking in fourth. Endurance stopped the clock in 1:54.3, which eclipsed the previous track record for two-year-old trotting colts of 1:54.4 set by Overkill Hall in 2022.
A colt by Captain Corey, Endurance won his first race from two starts and has now earned $31,411 for owners Chris Beaver, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and Mark Moger. He paid $6.06 to win.
Stallion Swan For All swept the other two divisions for trotting colts as the Erv Miller trained Kountry Tab (Atlee Bender, $18.06) led every step of the way in 1:57.3 and San Patricio (Andy McCarthy, $3.12) romped in 1:56.1 for trainer John Butenschoen.
Jailbird Jog (Anthony MacDonald) maintained her unbeaten record from two starts in posting the fastest mile of the two KYSS divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies. The daughter of Tactical Landing hoisted herself forward from fifth off a :29 first quarter to take the lead into a :57.3 half while then withstanding a first-over push from 25-1 shot Country Glide (David Miller) through three-quarters in 1:27.1. She then coasted to the finish with the whip tucked away to register a measured win by three-quarter lengths in a 1:55.4 mile. Country Glide took second with Isotta Bi (Dexter Dunn) another six lengths behind in third and Lucky Lady Volo (Marcus Miller) another six lengths farther back in fourth.
Trained by Eric Patalan, Jailbird Jog has now banked $54,424 from her two wins for owners Thestable Jailbird Jog, P23 Bloodstock and Hutchison Harness LLC. She paid $2.26 to win.
The second division for trotting fillies also went to a daughter of Tactical Landing as the Vernon Beachy trained Victorianas Secret (Scott Zeron, $4.28) went down the road in 1:56 to take her division.
Funky Buddha (Todd McCarthy) capitalized off a torrid tempo to post the fastest mile of the two KYSS splits for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Funky Buddha sat fifth as Papi Rick (Andy McCarthy) uncorked an early clip of :27, :56 and 1:23.3 with 1-2 favorite What Nooo Waaay (Yannick Gingras) perched on his back. Todd McCarthy angled outside to the final turn with Funky Buddha and gradually reeled in tiring rivals through the stretch to cross the finish in a 1:52.4 mile, two-fifths of a second off the track record. Prolific Blend (Scott Zeron) also rallied to take second while What Nooo Waaay just grabbed third from Papi Rick in fourth.
A colt by Sweet Lou, Funky Buddha collected his second win from three starts and has now earned $48,834 for owner Rick Berks. Tony Dinges trains the colt, and he paid $13.18 to win.
Captaintrecherous gelding Clouseau (Dexter Dunn, $3.90) went first-over to take the second split for pacing colts in 1:53.4 for trainer Kevin Lare.
Barbuda Belle (Yannick Gingras) emerged with the top mile of the three KYSS divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies with her 1:53.4 front-stepping score. Gingras circled the Ron Burke trainee to the lead after a :28.3 first quarter set by Kissin In The Dark (Atlee Bender) and strode through middle fractions of :58.2 and 1:26.2 before shutting the door in a final-quarter sprint to peel clear by three lengths from Kissin In The Dark. Carolina (Todd McCarthy) finished third, another eight lengths behind, with Naughty Seastar (David Miller) checking in fourth.
A daughter of Captaintreacherous, Barbuda Belle won her first race from two starts for owners Thomas Dillon, Scott Dillon and Craig Henderson. She paid $3.92 to win.
The other two divisions for pacing fillies on the day went to Sweet Lou filly Caviart Daisy (Andy McCarthy, $3.50) in 1:54 for trainer Jamie Sullivan and Captaintreacherous daughter Whispering Angel (Scott Zeron, $5.42) in 1:55.2 for conditioner Tony Alagna.
Racing continues at Oak Grove on Tuesday (July 8) with the second preliminary of Kentucky Sire Stakes for three-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:25 p.m. (CDT).
(With files from Oak Grove)