Dancin Champion and Date Night Hanover captured their respective $109,589 third leg divisions of the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series at The Red Mile on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Dancin Champion (David Miller) defeated favoured Nuclear by a neck (Dexter Dunn) with an inside move and :25.4 final quarter mile in 1:50.1 at odds of 21-1. Arson (Scott Zeron) was third in this event for three-year-old male pacers.
Leaving from post position five in the field of six, the son of Sweet Lou-Dancewiththebest was placed in second right behind Nuclear at the outset. As that rival clicked off fractions of :27.3, :56.1 and 1:24, Miller and Dancin Champion were merely biding their time to make their own bid for victory.
Nuclear proved to be a formidable foe and it took a strong steer from a Hall of Famer to get Dancin Champion to the wire in front.
The victory was the first this season in 10 starts and only the second win in Dancin Champion’s career -- both of which have come in Lexington. The gelding sports as resume of 2-4-2 with $240,279 in the bank from 19 starts. The final time was a new lifetime mark.
Bred by Anvil And Lace Farm, Dancin Champion was purchased for $90,000 at the 2022 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale by Burke Racing Stable, Knox Services Inc., Weaver Bruscemi and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby. He is a half-sibling to the venerable world champion and three-time Ohio champion Dancin Yankee (sired by Yankee Cruiser, career winner of $2 million) and Dancin Rebel (Big Bad John, $215,310). The gelding is a full brother to Dancin Lou ($1.1 million) and Dancin Sancho ($173,124).
Dancin Champion rewarded his supporters with a $45.28 payout.
Date Night Hanover (Dunn) went on the engine prior to the half-mile marker and cruised home over Pizelle (Andrew McCarthy) in 1:51.2 in the Championship Series event for sophomore filly trotters as the favourite. Allegiant (Zeron) was third.
Demonstrating her affinity for the red clay, the Kentucky champion left from post position five in the field of sixth. Allegiant snatched the lead right off the gate and set the first fraction of :27.4 with Date Night Hanover in fourth.
After the filly took charge, she established splits of :56.3 and 1:24.3 with Allegiant giving chase in second. Pizzelle, who was in third, closed well in the stretch to collect her placing.
Trained by Marcus Melander, Date Night Hanover set a new lifetime best time with her second consecutive victory. The daughter of Chapter Seven-Dont Wait Up was a $600,000 selection at the 2022 Standardbred Horse Sale for Jeffrey Snyder and Onda Racing Stable. She was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms.
Date Night Hanover’s record now stands at 7-0-5 in 22 starts. The filly has amassed $585,986 in purse money.
Date Night Hanover paid $2.96 to win.
With regular reinsman Tim Tetrick holding the lines, Pisco Sour hit the line in front of Drawing Rights (Dunn) by a neck in the $41,096 third leg of the Commonwealth Series for three-year-old filly trotters in 1:53.2. Local Honey (Yannick Gingras) was third. She paid $6.86 to win and it was her third straight victory.
Trained by Ake Svanstedt, Pisco Sour is by Walner out of the Muscle Hill mare Blessed. The filly is 5-0-5 with earnings of $133,438 in 15 starts. Sold under the same We Glory at the 2022 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for $110,000, Pisco Sour is owned by Jorgen Sparredal Inc. The filly was bred by Steve Stewart, Black Creek Farm and Harri Koskela.
Favoured Fannie Lipkowitz provided Tetrick with a sweep of the Commonwealth Series events in the other division for sophomore filly trotters. House Of Love (Nicolas Roussel) was second and Star Attraction (Andy Miller) was third. The daughter of Greenshoe-Ma Was Right set a new lifetime mark of 1:52.4 as the favourite. The filly paid $3.98 at the windows.
Fannie Lipkowitz dropped into this series after winning the first leg of the Championship Series and finishing fourth in the second leg last week. Trained by Lucas Wallin, she has collected $153,139 in purse money and is 4-4-2 in 18 starts.
The filly is the first foal out of a dam that earned $169,620 on the racetrack. She went through the 2022 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale ring to Shermay Stables and Wallin Racing Stable for $110,000 under the name Shes Super. Fannie Lipkowitz was bred by Kentuckiana Farms and All Laid Stable. Her granddam is a half-sibling to the ill-fated champion Snow White (Self Possessed, $1.43 million).
Women Layer nabbed the Commonwealth Series division for three-year-old male pacers in a non-betting race with a gate-to-wire score in 1:50.4 over a pair of foes, Steely Knife (Gingras) and Lill Bliss (Peter Wrenn).
Todd McCarthy piloted the Brett Pelling student for his 10th win in 11 starts this year and 10th win in 15 career starts. The three-year-old Sweet Lou-Loreenas Ruffian gelding is owned by Howard Taylor, Order By Stable Ab and Judith Taylor.
In three $20,548 divisions of the Kentucky Golden Rod Series, wins were captured by Its My Hill (Gingras) in 1:54.3, Lou Hill (Dunn) in 1:49.3 and Green Mercedes (Andy Miller) in 1:53.3.
Racing continues at The Red Mile on Sunday, Aug. 25 with a first post of 5:05 p.m.
(With files from The Red Mile)