With the Little Brown Jug and various regional finals now history, the focus of harness racing shifts to the Bluegrass for the premier Grand Circuit event of the season, two wonderful weeks at The Red Mile.
The action begins with a 10-race card featuring the Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Filly Trot on Thursday, September 27. Entries for the stake numbered 26 necessitating four divisions, each for a purse of nearly $90,000.
Standout freshman filly To Dream On has drawn post seven in race 9 for trainer Jimmy Takter and regular driver David Miller. Ontario's Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld own the winner of a third of a million dollars.
PA Sires Stakes champ Frau Blucher makes her first start back since that win in the third race with Dave Palone back in the driver's seat for trainer Chris Oakes and owners Hauser Bros Racing and Matt Tudisco.
Live harness racing continues through Saturday evening with a post time of 7:00 (EDT), followed by a Sunday matinee at 1:00. Week two is all daylight cards, Thursday through Sunday at 1:00.
The stakes schedule is as follows; the Bluegrass stakes for all divisions populate week one, then the International Stallion Stakes (all 2YO), Tattersalls Pace & Garnsey Memorial, the 120th edition of the Kentucky Futurity & Filly Futurity and the Allerage Farms open events are contested the second week.
The schedule is consistent so far as gait and sex through both weeks with Thursday featuring the 2YO Filly Trots, the 2YO Filly Pacers and 2YO Colt Trotters going both Fridays, Saturdays offer the 2YO Colt Pace, 3YO Colt & Filly Pace and the 3YO Colt & Filly Trotting stakes race Sunday. The meet ends with its strongest offering on October 7th featuring the KY Futurity and Allerage Farms FFA races. An estimated $8 million in purses will be offered over the eight racing days.
The Lexington Selected Yearling sale begins at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, October 2 and continues each evening through Saturday, October 6.
The Lexington area is rich in equine tradition like nowhere else, boasting the famed Kentucky Horse Park,Keeneland Racetrack and the most magnificent horse farms in all the world. A brief description of where to stay and what to do while in town is available at this link.
Complete information on both the racing and sales is available at The Red Mile website.
(The Red Mile)