Two-year-old pacing colt Signal Caller and driver Andy McCarthy bided their time off torching speed laid by Thai Hanover and launched into action at the right time to seize a sizzling 1:48.4 victory during the Bluegrass Stakes action at The Red Mile on Friday, Sept. 26.
In the third of four $103,425 divisions for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, McCarthy secured a seat in third out of post seven behind Captain Apple (Dexter Dunn) while Thai Hanover (Jeremy Indof) zipped to a wide lead heading to a :26.1 first quarter. Indof kept his headstrong charge rolling up the backstretch while maintaining an open lead to a :53.2 half and stayed on the muscle as the backfield began gathering speed through the final turn. Signal Caller attacked first-up through three-quarters in 1:20.4 and easily collared weary Thai Hanover in the stretch while keeping 1-5 favourite Ubrute (Yannick Gingras) at bay to win by a length. Ubrute snagged second from Thai Hanover.
The 1:48.4 winning time was just two-fifths of a second off the world record for two-year-old pacers.
Noel Daley trains Signal Caller for owners Patricia Stable, Kovach Stables, Sjoblom Racing and L A Express Stables. The a Captaintreacherous-Square Dancer colt was a $138,889 yearling purchase from last year's Standardbred Horse Sale.
“[Noel has] picked the right horses and the horses are special,” said Harvey Fried, who co-owns Signal Caller through Patricia Stable. “We’ve been very fortunate the last few years. Coming home, he just has heart. Heart, heart, heart; :25 and change [last quarters]. He’s got it. I thought he could win. When he was sitting third – he has a tremendous kick in the last quarter – I know our guy’s going to finish. Ubrute, I mean, we caught a break; he got stuck inside. We finished well.”
Signal Caller earned his fourth win from eight starts and has now earned $142,397.
He paid $15.16 to win.
Melillo trounced his peers as the 1-9 chalk with a 1:50.1 effort in the first $102,054 division with Yannick Gingras driving.
Gingras circled Melillo out of second to take the lead from Up In Place (Marvin Luna) after a :27.4 first quarter and sailed unchallenged up the backstretch to a :55.4 half. Melillo faced a mild first-over challenge through the last turn from Downbythelakeside (David Miller) that he easily disposed after three-quarters in 1:23.4. The Sweet Lou-Rosemary Rose colt pulled away under wraps in the stretch to post a 2-3/4-length win with Up In Place grabbing second. Downbythelakeside held third.
Ron Burke trains Melillo, a homebred Sweet Lou-Rosemary Rose colt for owners Burke Racing Stable, Jason Melillo and Weaver Bruscemi. The colt won for the second time from nine starts and has amassed $233,449 in earnings.
Melillo paid $2.20 to win.
Dexter Dunn delivered the winning drives in the other two 102,054 rookie male pacing divisions, starting with Brandon Blvd with in a facile 1:49.1 performance.
Dunn swooped to the top with Brandon Blvd passing a :27.2 first quarter and maintained steady speed through middle fractions of :54.3 and 1:22.4. Funky Buddha (Todd McCarthy) attempted a first-over charge through the final turn but promptly tired turning for home while Brandon Blvd fought heartily to the finish for a length win. Another C Note (Tim Tetrick) rallied up the pylons to take second with Thiago Hanover (Yannick Gingras) giving chase off a pocket trip for third.
“I actually told my guys right from the get-go that this would be a [1:]49 two-year-old,” said trainer Andrew Harris after the race. “I had no doubts about that, and I said it early – I want to say it was like March. I was super high on him. He was one of those ones when we were training early [that] was just going through the motions and then all a sudden one day in March he just turned on and I was like ‘Whoa.’ He’s more like a Captaintreacherous – he’s never going to pull off and win by 10. He’s one of those ones that likes to sit there and do his work. If they come at him, he’ll keep going.”
Harris shares ownership of Brandon Blvd, a Downbytheseaside-Alexis Faith colt, with partners Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman. A $574,324 yearling purchase from last year's Lexington Select Sale, the colt is now five-for-seven and has now earned $391,135.
Sent off as the 1-9 favourite, he paid $2.10 to win.
Odds-on choice Be Sting and Dunn rushed uncovered through the last turn to deliver a 1:50 win in the last two-year-old male pacing division.
Dunn raced fourth with Be Sting through a :27.1 first quarter and floated the Perfect Sting-Odds On St Lucie gelding off the pylons passing a :55.3 half. He rolled forward on the rim through the turn to confront pacesetter Drink To That (Scott Zeron) and surged to the lead past three-quarters in 1:23.3 before dashing clear in the stretch. Be Sting strolled under wraps to a three-length victory over Winnercircleseeker (Yannick Gingras), who followed the winner’s cover to take second. Gunmetal (Todd McCarthy) rallied from third-over for third.
Be Sting earned his third win from six starts and has now earned $139,799 for owners Val D’Or Farms, Brittany Farms and AC Crawford Racing Stable. Joe Holloway trains the gelding, who was a $621,622 yearling purchase at the Lexington sale.
“What I like is that he’s even getting better every week,” said George Segal, who co-owns Be Sting through Brittany Farms. “Today, first-over from the half… and [led] all the way down the stretch.”
Be Sting paid $3.76 to win.
Jim Oscarsson pupil Southwind Chaska revved off a pocket ride and downed 4-5 favourite Carve in the final strides for a 1:51.4 victory in the third of four $129,452 Bluegrass divisions for two-year-old filly trotters.
Driver Tim Tetrick sent Southwind Chaska to the fore out of post seven and grabbed command to a :28.3 first quarter. She cruised into the backstretch while Carve (Andy McCarthy) looped out of third and took over the lead as the field rolled to a :55.4 half. Carve slowed proceedings through the final turn for a breather to three-quarters in 1:25 and readied as Southwind Chaska tipped outside for the stretch drive. Southwind Chaska gradually built momentum through the lane, coming to equal terms with Carve into the final eighth, and overpowered the favourite in the last sixteenth to win by a half length. Busy Miss Lissy S (James MacDonald) closed from near last for third.
“That’s perfect,” Oscarsson said of the filly’s lifetime-best performance, which shed three seconds off her mark taken at The Meadowlands in her previous start. “I hope she’ll be better and so that we break some new records. We’re going to go next week. She looks really nice.”
Oscarsson shares ownership of Southwind Chaska, a Tactical Landing-Southwind Chai filly, through his Oscarsson Racing Stable Inc. alongside partner John Cummins. The $20,270 Lexington yearling purchase won her fifth race from seven starts – while never missing the board – and has now earned $252,299.
Southwind Chaska paid $8.64 to win.
Jailbird Jog toppled her rivals under wraps to take the first freshman trotting filly division in a lifetime-best 1:52.2 effort.
Driver James MacDonald mustered early speed from Jailbird Jog out of post seven but then floated wide through the first turn and methodically advanced up the rim to challenge for the lead into a :29 first quarter. Jailbird Jog drew alongside tempo-setter and 1-2 favourite Leading Lady (Yannick Gingras) entering the backside and patiently inched towards the top to clear control just before a :57 half. MacDonald kept the Tactical Landing-Miss Don Fanucci S filly on the muscle through the last turn, clocking three-quarters in 1:25.1, and spurted away effortlessly from her rivals in the stretch. She strode geared down towards the finish for a 3-1/4-length win over Leading Lady while Laurens Chapter (Todd McCarthy) finished third from a first-over grind.
“She’s amazing,” said MacDonald after the race. “She’s been a great filly all year, just had some tough luck a couple of times. But it’s good to see her get the job done today.”
Eric Patalan trains Jailbird Jog, a three-time winner from nine starts, for owners TheStable Jailbird Jog, P23 Bloodstock of Ontario and Hutchison Harness. A $70,270 yearling acquisition from the Lexington sale, she has now earned $162,544.
Jailbird Jog paid $6.54 to win as the second choice in the betting.
Sparks and trainer/driven Ake Svanstedt scored a mild upset at odds of 8-1 when punching by game 4-5 favourite Country Glide in the final strides for a lifetime-best 1:53.1 win in the second division.
Svanstedt secured the lead with Sparks moving before obliging for a pocket ride once Country Glide (David Miller) loomed outside through a :28.1 first quarter. Country Glide planted onto the lead and sailed up the backstretch to a :56.4 half with mild pressure approaching from first-up Next Big Think (Dexter Dunn) circling the far turn. Next Big Think marched up to Country Glide’s side passing three-quarters in 1:25.1 but trotted level for home while Country Glide fought stubbornly on the lead. Sparks built steam behind Country Glide in the lane and found room to split horses for a closing strike that she landed by a nose on the line. Country Glide settled for second while Next Big Think drifted in the stretch when finishing third.
Winning her second race from six starts, Sparks has now banked $125,482 for owners Ake Svanstedt Inc., Journey Horses Inc., Graham Grace Stables and Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing.
“Ake [Svanstedt] picked these horses out and Joe [Sbrocco] was for it, so sometimes we go a little extra on the spending,” said John Fodera, who co-owns the $208,333 Harrisburg purchase through JAF Racing. “There was a ship just recently for this one, so it felt very good. We didn’t expect what we got.”
The Walner-Sheer Energy filly paid $19.34 to win.
Denarius sustained a first-over push and held firmly to the finish of a 1:53.1 mile in the final freshman filly trot division as Dexter Dunn picked up another stakes victory.
Dunn sat steadily with Denarius in fourth while Naked And Famous (Todd McCarthy) marched up the rim to take the top from Frattina Diablo S (Andy McCarthy) past a :28.2 first quarter. Naked And Famous strolled up the backside to a :56.4 half, at which point Dunn angled outside and advanced Denarius towards the front. Denarius progressed through the turn and matched strides with Naked And Famous passing three-quarters in 1:25.3 before sliding by and seizing the lead. Lainey W (Scott Zeron) kicked off cover and laid late-stretch siege that Denarius successfully rebuffed for a three-quarter length win. Frattina Diablo S finished third while Naked And Famous tired to fourth.
“I just took my time with her,” said trainer Domenico Cecere, who didn’t debut the homebred International Moni-Treviso filly until Aug. 1 with a 1:55.2 win in a Kindergarten division at The Meadowlands. “She showed that she was a nice filly. And it’s working out.”
Moni Maker Stable owns Denarius, a now three-time winner from four starts with $131,961 in the bank.
Denarius paid $4.20 to win.
The Bluegrass divisions for two-year-old male pacers were sponsored by Brittany Farms, Stay Hungry Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. while the Bluegrass divisions for two-year-old filly trotters were sponsored by the Arden Homestead Stable, LST Stable and William DeVan, International Moni Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.
Live harness racing resumes at The Red Mile on Saturday, Sept. 27 with 12 total divisions of Bluegrass for the three-year-olds. Saturday’s card has a $7,500 guarantee on the Early Pick 4, which covers races six through nine. Every Pick 4 and the 50-cent Pick 5, which begins in race three and has another sequence start in race eight, at The Red Mile features a low takeout of 12 per cent.
First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m.
(With files from The Red Mile)