Despite a short field in the non-betting affair before Sunday’s (August 22) pari-mutuel card at The Red Mile, Komodo Beach fired a 1:48.4 mile in the $40,000 second preliminary of the Kentucky Championship Series for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Driver Todd McCarthy positioned the Somebeachsomewhere gelding in second as first-round winner Goldies Legacy carved fractions of :26.4, :55.1 and 1:23.1. McCarthy made his move at the bottom of the final turn, angling Komodo Beach wide for the drive and besting Goldies Legacy in the sprint to the finish with a :25.2 final quarter to win by a head. Toronto gave chase to the pair in third, another seven lengths behind.
Komodo Beach won his fourth race from 12 starts this season and his seventh from 20 overall, pushing his earnings to $101,825. Brett Pelling trains the winner for owners Trevor Ritchie of Acton, Ont., John Fodera of Staten Island, New York, and David McDuffee and Steven Wienick of Delray Beach, Florida.
McCarthy came back at the start of the betting program to register an 11-1 upset in the $40,000 second round of the Kentucky Championship Series for three-year-old pacing fillies, winning with Linda Toscano trainee High Minded in 1:50.
Classicist cleared command from post six while Tava pushed from the pylon post to race second to a :28.2 first quarter with High Minded positioned third. Odds-on favourite So Irresistible advanced wide from fourth and grabbed control as the tempo quickened to a :55 half. With the pace slowing to the final turn, McCarthy motored High Minded out of fourth to challenge So Irresistible for the lead to three-quarters in 1:23 and seized the command in the straightaway. The daughter of Captaintreacherous cruised to the line 1-1/2 lengths better than So Irresistible, with Dream Chaser finishing third.
Returning $24.20 to win, High Minded won her third race from 10 starts this season and her fifth from 22 overall, lifting her earnings to $148,037. She competes for owners Camelot Stable Inc. of Freehold, New Jersey, Fred Wallace of New York, New York, The Bays Stable LLC of Englewood, Colorado and Steve Stewart of Paris, Kentucky.
Caviart Lotus ($3.40) and Mikimoto ($18.40) snagged the pair of $20,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings in a time of 1:49.4. Caviart Lotus had Andrew McCarthy in the bike for trainer Noel Daley while Christian Lind piloted Mikimoto for trainer Domenico Cecere.
The lone $20,000 Kentucky Commonwealth division for three-year-old pacing fillies went to Notorious Pink ($2.20), who romped by 6-1/4 lengths to win in 1:49.1 in rein to Todd McCarthy for trainer Tony Alagna.
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 Monday with a pair of $40,000 third-round Kentucky Championship divisions for trotting freshmen. The card also features six $20,000 divisions of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series, three for the colts and geldings and three for the fillies. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from The Red Mile)
Race 4, won by Mikimoto, was
Race 4, won by Mikimoto, was the most evenly-matched field that I've ever seen. In how many harness races does the favorite (Commanding Officer, who broke and finished last) go off at odds of 9-2? And in a field of just 8 horses??