Tony Alagna trainee Caviart Camden, who has had a run of bad luck with an interference break in round one and then a sick scratch from round two, came firing in the third $40,000 round of the Kentucky Championship Series to topple current star Pebble Beach with a world record mile on Tuesday (August 24) at The Red Mile.
Pebble Beach, coming into the race having won in the first two preliminaries, swept to the top from third following a :28.2 first quarter and sizzled the teletimer to a :54.3 half and 1:21.2 three-quarters. All the while, Caviart Camden sat in fourth until driver Yannick Gingras steadily pulled the Huntsville colt from the pylons swinging for the homestretch.
Though Pebble Beach kept the speed hot in the straightaway, Caviart Camden kicked for the finish with a :26.1 final quarter to nab the victory at the beam by a neck in a 1:48.3 mile, breaking the world record for a two-year-old pacing colt of 1:49 set by Sweet Lou at Woodbine Racetrack in 2011 and equalled by Downbytheseaside and Huntsville at The Red Mile in 2016. The time equals the overall fastest mile ever by a two-year-old, set first by filly Warrawee Ubeaut in Lexington in 2018 and matched the following year by stablemate and gelding Elver Hanover.
Wolftrax rallied in the stretch to take third, 1-1/4 lengths behind the winner, while holding off a late bid from River Ness to the finish.
A homebred for Caviart Farms, Caviart Camden won his third race from five starts, pushing his earnings to $43,200. He paid $19.60 to win.
The fillies put on a final quarter speed show in their $40,000 Kentucky Championship division, with Boudoir Hanover bolting quickest for the line to win in 1:51.1 to give trainer Tony Alagna a sweep of the Championship action.
Driver Todd McCarthy settled Boudoir Hanover into third from the pylon post while Sloopy led odds-on favourite Dont Fence Me In to the quarter in :28.1. The quartet, with the scratch of Jazzed, rolled single file to a :56.4 half and into the final turn until Dont Fence Me In ranged out of the pocket to take a shot at the pacesetter. Boudoir Hanover tracked her stablemate’s move circling into the stretch and came charging quickest of all, sliding three-quarter lengths ahead of Dont Fence Me In with a :25.1 sprint to the finish. Sloopy gave chase from third, five lengths behind, while Captains Princess raced in the rear and took fourth.
Owned by Riverview Racing LLC, Alagna Racing LLC, Caviart Farms and D Plouffe And S Head, Boudoir Hanover broke her maiden in her fifth start while pushing her bankroll to $35,600. The Captaintreacherous filly paid $10 to win.
Queen Of Success ($2.10) led the winners of the two $20,000 Kentucky Commonwealth divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies with a 1:51.3 effort for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Tony Alagna. Kentukylady ($13.60) registered slightly behind when winning the other division, taking a nose decision in a time of 1:51.4 in rein to Andy Miller for trainer Jack Gray Jr.
The lone $20,000 Kentucky Commonwealth split for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings went to Boston ($10.60), who emerged from a slightly shuffled trip in an overflow field to win in 1:50.3 with Todd McCarthy in the sulky for trainer Brett Pelling.
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 29) with the third preliminary of the Kentucky Championship and Commonwealth Series for trotting freshmen. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from The Red Mile)