Twin B Joe Fresh engaged in a vicious battle with nemesis Strong Poison for a 1:49.1 triumph in an $80,000 division of the Kentucky Championship Series for three-year-old pacing fillies on Sunday (Sept. 10) at The Red Mile, collecting her fifth consecutive win and becoming the sport’s newest millionaire. Hambletonian victor Tactical Approach rebounded off a second-place finish in his last appearance in the series for sophomore male trotters with a 1:51.2 victory.
Defending Kentucky champion Twin B Joe Fresh (Dexter Dunn) engaged in another tremendous battle in the lane to defeat familiar foe Strong Poison (Yannick Gingras) by three-quarters of a length. The daughter of Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze has not lost since a second-place finish to Dan Patch and O’Brien Award winner Sylvia Hanover in the $169,000 Mistletoe Shalee at The Meadowlands on July 15.
Charleston (Tim Tetrick) assumed command as the mile commenced from post position three while Dunn and his filly settled in fourth from post position two. Strong Poison also allowed Charleston to lead the field of six through splits of :27.4, :56.2 and 1:24 before the battle was on.
Charleston remained in front by a head in the drive for the wire, but Twin B Joe Fresh and Strong Poison were in hot pursuit.
Despite throwing down a :25.2 final quarter fraction, Charleston could not hold off the sizzling :24.3 and :24.4 advances of Twin B Joe Fresh and Strong Poison, respectively.
Twin B Joe Fresh reigned supreme, scoring the victory in 1:49.1. Strong Poison, after a courageous mile of her own, was relegated to second. Charleston paced a strong mile to be third.
Bred by Brittany Farms, the filly is co-owned by Dunn, along with her trainer, Chris Ryder, in addition to Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak.
Twin B Joe Fresh now sports a resume of 20-15-3-1 and has earned $1,019,439 in purse money.
She is the first foal out of an unraced dam, Fresh Breeze, and was a $65,000 purchase as a yearling at the 2021 Standardbred Horse Sale.
Twin B Joe Fresh paid $2.28 to win.
Heavily favoured Tactical Approach, with regular reinsman Scott Zeron, began to trot from post position six in a very strong field of six in the lone $80,000 KYSS division for sophomore trotting colts. They sat in fifth as longshot Brodeur (Tony Hall) set the first fraction of :27.2. That was when second choice Kilmister (Brian Sears) took control. After trotting in :56.1 for the half-mile and 1:24.2 three-quarters around the red clay oval, Kilmister’s rivals were beginning to advance while Tactical Approach was at the back of the pack.
Point Of Perfect (Yannick Gingras) poked a nose in front rounding the final turn with Khaosan Road (Tim Tetrick) breathing down his neck. At this juncture, Tactical Approach began to roll and moved into fourth. The son of Tactical Landing-Sarcy used a :26.1 final quarter panel to claim victory by 1-3/4 lengths. Ari Ferrari J (Dexter Dunn) was second. Point Of Perfect held third.
Trained by Nancy Takter, Tactical Approach improved his resume to 17-8-1-4 and boosted his bank account to $717,989.
The colt was bred by Steve Stewart and Oakwood Farms. He was purchased for $85,000 at the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and is owned by Robert Leblanc, John Fielding and Joe Sbrocco And Jaf Racing.
Tactical Approach paid $2.66 to win.
Horizontal Collects Third Straight In Commonwealth Series
Horizontal (Scott Zeron, $4.88) won her third consecutive race in the sole $30,000 Commonwealth Series division for three-year-old filly pacers in a lifetime best 1:48.4.
The daughter of Always B Miki-Geometry is trained by Linda Toscano and owned by Determination. Bred Diamond Creek Farm, she sold for $47,000 at the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Horizontal is a half-sibling to the undefeated freshman filly pacing phenom Geocentric (sired by Sweet Lou, $294,501 in career earnings).
Djimon (Yannick Gingras, $16.58) scored a slight upset over favoured Prince Of Honor (Todd McCarthy) with a new lifetime mark of 1:52.1 in the first of two Commonwealth divisions for sophomore male trotters.
Trained by Mark Steacy, the son of Tactical Landing-Sheenas Shadow is owned by Hudson Standardbred Inc., Dale Larson and Stephen Downey. He was bred by James Wilhite Jr. and is a half-brother to Winning Shadow (Credit Winner, $883,896) and Ritson (Cantab Hall, $286,404).
Dire Straits (David Miller, $7.74) collected his first win in 2023 in a lifetime best 1:51.4 in the second division for three-year-old male trotters.
The son of Muscle Hill-Southwind Cocoa is a half-sibling to Crime Fighter (Chapter Seven, $185,211) and Magnificent Seven (Chapter Seven, $164,734). Trained by Mattias Melander, Dire Straits was bred by Richard Gutnick who co-owns with Thomas Pontone and Gary Cocco.
Favourites Takes Two Of Three Golden Rod Series Divisions
Chamba (Dexter Dunn, $2.78) took the first of two $15,000 fourth round divisions of the Kentucky Golden Rod Series for three-year-old male trotters in 1:52.3 for trainer Ake Svanstedt. Tim Tetrick scored the 21-1 upset as he guided Naranjo ($45.62) to a 1:53.3 victory in the second division for trainer Jim Brinson.
Keep My Secret (Tony Hall, $3.74) prevailed in the only Golden Rod Series division for sophomore filly pacers, winning in 1:49.2 for trainer Anette Lorentzon.
The $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series finals will take place on Sunday, Sept. 17 with the $100,000 finals for the Kentucky Commonwealth Series on Monday, Sept. 18 and the $50,000 Golden Rod Series finals on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Red Mile races on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday schedule with a 1 p.m. EDT post time through Oct. 8.
(With files from The Red Mile)