Gagosian remained unbeaten with his fifth straight victory as he won the $70,423 Kentucky Golden Rod Series final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings in 1:55.2 on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at The Red Mile.
Dexter Dunn, the leading driver of the 2026 meeting at The Red Mile by a sizeable margin, added four more victories inside of the eight $70,423 Golden Rod Series finals contested on the day and opened the stakes action with Gagosian.
Dunn cruised out of post eight to lead with the Marcus Melander trainee through a :29.2 first quarter and faced minimal pressure through middle splits of :58.3 and 1:27.2 in progress to a 2-1/4-length win. Madeby Volo (Todd McCarthy) chased from a ground-saving trip in second. Dads Tab (Tim Tetrick) kicked from second-over for third.
A colt by Walner-Basquiat, Gagosian has now banked $69,888 for owners Brittany Farms LLC and S R F Stable. He paid $5.04 to win.
Dunn immediately returned to the winner’s circle when ripping off cover with Rowdy Station to seize victory in the final for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings in 1:51.4.
After racing parked through the first turn and to a :28.1 first quarter, Dunn fished cover to race third-over while A Bettor Dream (Marvin Luna) shifted out of fourth to lead the outside charge to a :56.1 half and 1:24.2 three-quarters. Dunn swung Rowdy Station to the centre of the track spinning for home, and his charge surged by rivals to take the lead in the stretch while holding off a late push from Reflector (Todd McCarthy) by a head. A Bettor Dream gave pursuit from third.
Chris Ryder trains Rowdy Station, a gelding by Huntsville-Rodeo Rosie, and co-owns him with Henderson Farms, Robert Mondillo and Pryde Stables Inc. The gelding won his fourth race from seven starts and has now earned $78,554. He paid $13.88 to win.
Dunn and Ryder teamed for another victory when 8-5 chalk Need You Now steamrolled first up into the last turn and won the event for three-year-old pacing fillies in a 1:51.2 mile.
Dunn planted Need You Now into fourth through a :28.1 first quarter and stayed put as Naughty Beauty (Yannick Gingras), the second favourite at 9-5, led the field to a :57 half. As the tempo quickened to three-quarters in 1:24.3, Dunn angled Need You Now off the pylons and marched forward to eventually collar Naughty Beauty in the lane. From there, Need You Now coasted to the beam a 1-1/4-length winner chased by pocket-popping Shes A Rich Girl (Tim Tetrick) in second. Nash (Todd McCarthy) rallied from off the speed for third.
Need You Now, a homebred Captaintreacherous-Dream Outloud filly, is owned by Dr. Fred Kruszelnicki. The filly won her third race from 12 starts this season and her fifth race from 19 starts in her career, raising her earnings to $136,046. She paid $5.46 to win.
Dunn and Melander completed a bookend of the day’s Golden Rod races with a victory by Mine Mine Mine in the last final of the day, the two-year-old trotting filly contest.
After settling into third from the pylon draw through a :28.3 first quarter, Dunn looped Mine Mine Mine towards the lead on the backstretch and grabbed control before a :56.4 half. Your Grace (Marvin Luna) tipped off the pylons from fourth heading for the last turn and inched up the rim towards the leader, but Mine Mine Mine raced past three-quarters in 1:25.2 and held her ground to the finish in 1:54.1. Putitondadstab (Scott Zeron) gave chase from a pocket trip in second, beaten 2-1/4 lengths, with Your Grace settling for third.
A filly by Gimpanzee-Overdraft Volo, Mine Mine Mine has now won three races from four starts and earned $55,039 for owners Kentuckiana Racing Stable, Mantorp LLC, Heights Stable and Joseph King. She paid $6.04 to win.
Chapel sprang from a shuffle to score a 1:53.2 win in the final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings.
Scott Zeron sent Chapel for the front out of post six and yielded command to longshot Caraxes (Yannick Gingras) passing a :28.3 first quarter. Nicholson (Dexter Dunn) soon brushed forward to take the lead, but Dunn then parked Castro (Atlee Bender) as that rival pressed towards the top approaching a :56.3 half. Castro matched strides with Nicholson to three-quarters in 1:25, where Zeron found clearance to slide Chapel off the pylons for the stretch drive. Chapel eked through a gap at the top of the lane and gathered speed to take the lead, then held his ground late for a half-length win over Lethal Legacy (Andy McCarthy), who split horses from an inside path for second. Nicholson took third.
Anette Lorentzon trains Chapel, a gelding by Chapter Seven-Beautiful Game, for owners Dream With Me Florida LLC and Follow Me Stable LLC. The gelding collected his fifth win from 15 starts this season and from 21 starts in his career, earning $107,187. He paid $11.72 to win.
Joey Putnam placed Era Dominance on the front after the quarter and left his rivals to the rear for a 1:51.2 victory in the rookie filly pace event.
Putnam pushed past longshot leader Holy (Todd McCarthy) after a :27.4 first quarter to take control with the 3-5 favourite, then maintained the filly's speed through a :55.4 half and 1:24 three-quarters. Era Dominance turned away a first-over challenge from Odds On Momma (Dexter Dunn) coming for home and strode to a snug victory by 1-1/2 lengths. Jk Alwaysbpositive (Tim Tetrick) rallied from second-over for second. Holy took third.
Michael Hitchcock trains Era Dominance, a filly by Jk Endofanera-Always Soggy, for owner William Hartt. The filly won her fourth race from six starts and has now earned $134,851. She paid $3.48 to win.
Marvin Luna marched 9-5 second choice Numanthia up the rim moving for the last turn to muscle clear of the competition for a 1:53.2 victory in the final for three-year-old trotting fillies.
Luna landed Numanthia into fourth out of post eight coming to a :28.3 first quarter and angled off the pylons approaching a :56.4 half to challenge new leader Jula Priceless (Andy McCarthy) through the last turn. Numanthia drew alongside Jula Priceless, effortlessly edged ahead past three-quarters in 1:25.1 and scampered three lengths clear of her rivals heading for the finish. Pillsbury (Dexter Dunn) burst onto the scene late from last but settled for second, beaten 2-1/4 lengths, with Clemency (Todd McCarthy) chasing from a second-over trip for third.
Bob Stewart trains Numanthia, a filly by Six Pack-Illuminata, for owners Morgan and Nicolas Roussel. The filly has now won five races from eight starts this season and seven races from 16 starts in her career, banking $123,417. She paid $5.92 to win.
Ron Burke trainee Stingman persevered through a parked mile to land a 1:50 victory in the sophomore male pace final.
Yannick Gingras floated Stingman out of post two to race seventh through a :27 first quarter as odds-on favourite Benny B Hill (Dexter Dunn) led a shuffle for the lead to the backstretch. Gingras nestled Stingman into the outer tier and found himself uncovered once L B I (Andy McCarthy) brushed by Benny B Hill to take the lead to a :54 half. Stingman dug into L B I through the last turn, pushed past that rival after three-quarters in 1:21.3 and kept him at bay all through the lane for a game victory by three-quarters of a length. Benny B Hill chased in third.
A gelding by Perfect Sting-Captiva, Stingman competes for owners Jack Piatt III, Scott Croftcheck, Joseph Seman and William Schmid. He won his 11th race from 20 starts this season and from 22 starts in his career, earning $163,029. He paid $6.10 to win.
Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes with the start of the Grand Circuit meeting next Thursday, Oct. 1, featuring the Bluegrass Stakes for two-year-old trotting males and two-year-old pacing fillies. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from The Red Mile)