The Kentucky Sires Stakes (KYSS) for two-year-old trotters took place on a cloudless Saturday night, Aug. 25 at The Red Mile with temperatures in the mid 70’s. There were five stakes, three filly divisions and two colt races, all for a purse of $30,000.
Hall-of-Fame horseman Jimmy Takter swept both colt divisions with a talented pair of freshmen from his barn of trotting all stars while Dave Palone won two of the filly divisions for Lindy Farms and trainer Domenico Cecere.
The colts opened the card and Peter Haughton Memorial winner Dont Letem made amends for last week’s miscue with a 1:55.2 win with Takter in the sulky.
From post 10, Takter patiently moved his charge away from the gate and stayed wide as he navigated around several breakers into the first turn. He then ground to the front just after High Into The Sky took the field by the quarter. Once Dont Letem crossed over to the top the race was, for all intents and purposes, over. Takter set a moderate pace then widened his lead to a six-and-one-quarter lengths lead at the wire while asking the colt for nothing. High Into The Sky held for second while Buckeyeonbroadway trotted to be third.
The winner is a Brittney Farms-bred son of Muscle Hill racing for the interests of the breeder with partners Christina Takter, John Fielding and Herb Liverman. He was an $80,000 buy at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale (LSYS).
Super Schissel repeated his leg one win as the Uncle Peter colt took over near the half and held sway in 1:56.4.
With heavily-favoured Greenshoe again undone by a break well before the start, first Reign Of Honor then Lindys Crazy Hall took turns on the lead before Takter and Super Schissel arrived on the scene. Once again the Takter tactics paid off, with the $15.60 winner adding a $15,000 prize to his bankroll for owners Al Libfeld and Perry Soderberg as their $115,000 LSYS buy from Coyote Wind Farms came home a two-and-one-quarter length victory. Reign Of Honor and Lindys Crazy Hall followed him across the wire.
Taylor Swiftly reprised her love story with The Red Mile, becoming a KYSS repeat winner with her 1:55.3 score for Dave Palone in the first filly split.
Leaving from the seven hole, Palone eased the Trixton filly around turn one, wore past early-leader and eventual place-finisher Asiago near the :57.3 half and got a :29.3 third-quarter before kicking home with a :28.2 quarter to end the mile. Long-shot Highway To The Sky rallied for third.
Taylor Swiftly is a Lindy Farms homebred from True Diva and is trained by Domenico Cecere.
The Palone, Cecere, Lindy Farms juggernaut came right back in the second filly division to score a $50 upset win with yet another homebred filly as the Muscle Hill-lass Lindy Pearl took a 1:55.1 mark for the group.
Starting from the rail after a series of unfortunate post draws, Lindy Pearl settled in the pocket for Palone as the speedy, yet erratic Run Lindy Run reeled off fair fractions before jumping off stride as the field neared turn two. This development left Lindy Pearl fresh on the lead with heavy-favourite French Press launching an unsuccessful uncovered bid. Lindy Pearl was well up to the task here, closing out the mile with a :28.2 final quarter to win by two-and-one-quarter lengths over So Romantic and Graceful.
Ma Was Right got up over favoured Whispering Oaks in the shadow of the wire to put visiting Down Under-reinsman Dexter Dunn in the Red Mile winner’s circle for the first time in the New Zealander’s stateside tour. Dexter settled his charge in third as Whispering Oaks cut the mile, shifted out around the last turn to engage then eyeball the leader mid-stretch and edged by late in 1:57. Atonement took third.
The Muscle Hill filly, a $100,000 LSYS purchase by the All Laid Out stable, was winning for the fourth time in seven starts for trainer Noel Daley. She was bred by the Moni Market Breeders.
The freshman pacers take to the clay oval tomorrow evening in their second KYSS leg. Post time is 7:00 p.m.
(With files from The Red Mile)