The Red Mile will host one of the biggest annual nights in Kentucky harness racing on Sunday, September 11, as eight Kentucky Sires Stakes Finals will be contested worth a quarter of a million dollars each
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The first of eight $250,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes Finals will feature a field of six two-year old colt pacers, and a heavy favourite in the sensational Bolt The Duer (Mike Lachance). Bolt The Duer is a son of Ponder, out of the late Artsplace mare, Wonderbolt. Wonderbolt has already produced a pair of Kentucky Sires Stakes Champions in the past, Blue Claw and the millionare mare, Shanghai Lil. Just like her past champions, Bolt The Duer is trained by Pete Foley and owned by All Star Racing Inc. The colt is coming off two consecutive wins in the preliminary legs of the Kentucky Sires Stakes, and has been rated as the 6-5 morning line favourite. He will be seeking his fifth win in what will be his sixth lifetime start.
The fifth race will feature a rematch between two top flight two-year-old trotting fillies, Gisela As (Trace Tetrick) and the undefeated Northern Miss Hall (Dan Noble). Those two battled the entire length of the stretch in last week’s $15,000 second leg, with Northern Miss Hall holding on for a head win in 1:57.2. Gisela As has been rated as the 9-5 morning line favourite after drawing Post 1, with Northern Miss Hall the 2-1 second choice leaving from Post 7. The stakes will be raised for the rematch on Sunday with $250,000 on the line.
Those are two of the 14 races to be contested on the 2011 ‘Night of Champions’ card on Sunday night, with over $2 million in purse money on the line. The Red Mile will be offering free admission to all patrons, and there will be a $7,500 Guaranteed Pick 4 beginning in Race 6.
Live racing continues at The Red Mile on every Thursday, Friday, and Sunday night with a first post of 7 p.m.
(The Red Mile)