After making a break and finishing ninth in the $1 million Hambletonian, Nancy Takter trainee Really Fast promptly rebounded with a forceful 1:52.3 performance to take the $40,000 second-round division of the Kentucky Championship Series for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Tuesday (August 17) at The Red Mile.
Driver Dexter Dunn dashed the Muscle Hill colt to the top from post five as Venerate and Rattle My Cage made breaks at the start. Kildare King protected position from the pylons to sit the pocket moving to a :27.4 first quarter and gave chase as Really Fast sped to the half in :55.2 before opening daylight.
Kildare King began to falter into the final turn, leaving Really Fast five lengths clear past three-quarters in 1:23.3. With then 10 lengths detached from the field, Really Fast coasted to the finish as 1-2 favourite Dancinginthedark M made late gains to take second, beaten 4-3/4 lengths. Tangled Love finished third with Venerate regaining stride early and rallying for fourth.
Owned by Brixton Medical Inc., Hatfield Stablers, Marvin Katz and breeder Al Libfeld, Really Fast won his fifth race from 10 starts, pushing his earnings to $188,375. He paid $8.80 to win.
Trainer/driver Jordan Derue bested a classy field in the $40,000 Kentucky Championship split for three-year-old trotting fillies with Empressive Hill, who recovered from a parked mile in round one to deliver as the 9-5 choice in a 1:52.4 mile.
With Beltassima scratched sick, speed came from Lady Chaos, Argyle and Adirondack as they aligned in that respective order to a :28.4 first quarter. Adirondack soon angled from third into the backstretch and brushed to the lead with Lady Chaos yielding for the pocket moving to a :56.2 half.
Derue made his move with Empressive Hill into the final turn, catching cover from Piper Hanover as she attempted to make first-over gains into the slowed third quarter. Adriondack tripped the beam in 1:25.2 but faltered through the stretch while Derue fed his Muscle Hill filly racetrack. Empressive Hill quickly spurted by her competition to post a 4-1/2-length victory over Lady Chaos, with Piper Hanover settling for third and Argyle finishing fourth.
Co-owned by Derue with Bruce Soulsby, Alan Weisenberg and Gil Short, Empressive Hill won her fourth race from five starts this season and her sixth from 12 overall, lifting her earnings to $77,175. She paid $5.60 to win.
Altar ($2.20) blew away her competition in the second of two $20,000 Kentucky Commonwealth divisions for three-year-old trotting fillies, winning by 10-3/4 lengths in 1:51.4 for trainer Nancy Takter and driver Dexter Dunn, who registered a total of five wins on the afternoon – three of which came for Takter. Eazy Pass ($4) romped in the other division, winning by 8-1/4 lengths in 1:54.4 in rein to David Miller for trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman.
Dunn also piloted the fastest winner of the two $20,000 Kentucky Commonwealth divisions for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings when passing the beam with Platinum As ($6), for trainer Anette Lorentzon, in a time of 1:55. Flemsteen ($4.60) popped pocket to narrowly take the other division for driver Aaron Merriman and trainer Chris Beaver in a 1:56.1 mile.
Sandwiched in the stakes action, Lexington-based James Luttrell recorded his first training victory when his four-year-old Uncle Peter gelding Unclepete Forcash ($15.60) won a $5,100 overnight race in 1:56.2. Dexter Dunn supplied the winning drive – a neck decision over 8-5 favourite Petes Sake – in Luttrell’s third start as a trainer.
Point totals for both the Kentucky Championship and Kentucky Commonwealth Series are available at the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission website.
Racing resumes at The Red Mile on Sunday (August 22) with the second round of the Kentucky Championship Series for pacing sophomores. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from The Red Mile)