Sippinonsearoc became harness racing's fastest two-year-old with a sizzling victory in the second leg of the Kentucky Champsionship Series on Tuesday, Aug. 13 to open the afternoon program at The Red Mile.
Trained by Ron Burke and driven by Yannick Gingras, Sippinonsearoc was victorious in the $109,589 Kentucky Sires Stakes event in 1:48.2, knocking one full second off the world record for freshman pacers that was held by colt Caviart Camden (2021), gelding Elver Hanover (2019) and filly Warrawee Beaut (2018).
Sippinonsearoc worked to command from the outside post into a :27.1 opening quarter and led the compact field of five freshman male pacers through fractions of :54.4 and 1:21.2 en route to the record-setting victory by three lengths. Tony Alagna trainees followed with Fallout (Tim Tetrick) in second and Blue Onyx (Andy Miller) edging out Strangerinthenight (David Miller) back in third.
Undefeated in four career starts, Sippinonsearoc is owned by Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, R A S Racing of Powell, Ohio and Knox Services of Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
Bred by Trent Stohler Stable of Markleville, Indiana and Alesha Binkley of Lebanon, Ohio, the Downbytheseaside colt is out of the Big Bad John mare, Queen Ann M. He was a $77,000 yearling purchase from the 2023 Lexington Select Sale.
The winner was the 1-9 favourite and paid $2.10 across the board.
Hambletonian champion Karl was back in action on Tuesday, cruising to an easy victory in the second leg of the Kentucky Championship Series for three-year-old trotting colts. Trained by Nancy Takter, the defending divisional champion of the Kentucky series returned to The Red Mile for the first time this year with a 1:51.1 winning performance in rein to Gingras.
Sent postward as the 1-9 favourite after his million-dollar Meadowlands masterpiece one and a half weeks ago, Karl landed in fourth early on with Ways N Means (David Miller) first to the front through a :27.2 opening quarter. Dame Good Time (Scott Zeron) looped to the lead in the second panel with Karl on the move as the field of eight headed towards the midway mark. Karl took over command before the half in :55.4 and cruised to three-quarters in 1:24.4 with first-up Secret Agent Man (Andy Miller) chasing in vain the rest of the way as the bettors' choice sprinted home :26.2 and finished 1-3/4 lengths in front. Dame Good Time rounded out the top three.
A double millionaire with a record reading 16-1-1 from 18 starts, the Tactical Landing-Avalicious colt is owned by Christina And Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing, Crawford Farms Racing and Bender Sweden.
Heavily backed at the betting windows, Karl returned $2.10 to win and place. There was no show wagering.
In the second leg of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series, undefeated American Son ($6.28) won a $41,096 division of a dozen two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, lowering his mark to 1:49.3. Dexter Dunn drove the American Ideal-Lady Captain colt to his third straight victory, beating the favoured Fusion (Gingras) by three-quarters of a length, with Harrisburg Heist (Devon Tharps) well back in third. American Son is trained by Chris Ryder and owned by Henderson Farms.
The three-year-old male trot division went to the Marcus Melander-trained Skydiver ($24.60), who kicked home in :26.4 in a career-best 1:52.2 mile giving Gingras another stakes win on the day. A homebred of Toronto, Ontario's Marvin Katz, the regally bred son of Greenshoe and Ariana G won by 1-1/2 lengths over Bargain (Andrew McCarthy) with favourite Bright Star (Zeron) third. Katz shares ownership with Brixton Medical and Hatfield Stables.
Melander also sent out the well bred three-year-old trotting colt Vic Zelenskyy, a son of Greenshoe out of world champion Mission Brief in the Kentucky Golden Rod set. Dunn drove the 1:54.2 winner. The other $20,548 divisions were won by a pair of Walner sons: Pick Pocket (Anthony MacDonald) in 1:53.1 for trainer Eric Patalan and Duke Of Walner (Tim Tetrick) in 1:52.4 for Lucas Wallin.
Owner/breeder Caviart Farms had a Golden Rod Series double with two-year-old pacing colts Caviart Cash (Anibal Borjas) winning in 1:51.4 for Alagna and Caviart Act Two (Andrew McCarthy) winning in 1:52.1 for the Takter stable. Caviart Cash, a Captain Crunch brother to former world record holder Caviart Camden, broke his maiden in his second career start. Caviart Act Two, sired by Captain Crunch and the first foal out of $2.1 million earner Caviart Ally, is undefeated in two starts. The other division went to trainer Peter Blood's Got Bourbon (Todd McCarthy) in 1:52.3.
(Standardbred Canada)