The last of the week’s stakes action for freshman Standardbreds is set to go to post on the Friday (Sept. 30) card at The Red Mile with pacing colts and geldings and trotting fillies in competition in a total of six Bluegrass Stakes divisions.
Freshman pacing colts and geldings get the first bite of the afternoon's stakes smorgasbord in Race 2 with the first of three divisions for the $327,000 Stay Hungry Bluegrass Stakes. Jim King Jr. trainee Lyons Surfing lands the pylon post in the eight-horse affair off a 12-length rebound blowout in a $30,000 Liberty Bell division at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Tim Tetrick has the drive behind the morning-line favourite as he faces a stacked field including Kentucky Championship Series runner-up Bamboozler (starting from post three), Kentucky Championship third-place finisher Blue Lou (post two), New York Sires Stakes champ American Fling (post six) and Elevation Pace winner Ervin Hanover (post seven).
In the following race, the boys come back to town with the second Bluegrass division. Handlelikeaporsche goes as the morning-line choice from post eight off a second-place finish in the $150,000 New Jersey Classic “A” division at The Meadowlands. Dexter Dunn will steer the Chris Ryder trainee against a field that includes Metro Pace finalist Gung Ho (post two), Metro Pace consolation winner Nazare (post seven) and Elevation Pace runner-up Cant Stop Lou (post five).
The colts and geldings conclude their stakes engagements on the day in Race 6 with the final Bluegrass split. Kentucky Goldenrod champ Admiral Hill will try his hand at Grand Circuit company following a seven-length romp in 1:50 over The Red Mile on Sept. 20. Dexter Dunn sits in the bike behind the Chris Ryder pupil and will face challengers including Kentucky Commonwealth runner-up Kaptain Karlos (post eight) and a pair of possible stakes prospects in Christchurch (post two) and Ammo (post seven).
Race 5 will be the first of three divisions of the $354,000 Norman Woolworth Memorial Bluegrass Stakes, an event for freshman trotting fillies. The first division features a rematch between Heart On Fire and Kayleigh S after the former landed a finishing blow on the latter to win the $240,000 Kentuckiana at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Sept. 23. Dexter Dunn drives Heart On Fire from the pylon post for trainer Tony Alagna while Brian Sears steers Kayleigh S – a full sister to star Joviality S – from post six for conditioner Marcus Melander. Division one also includes other burgeoning talent in Kentucky Goldenrod winner Grande (post two) and Pennsylvania Sires Stakes runner-up Fashion Annie (post seven).
Division two of the Bluegrass goes as Race 8. The tight betting contest collects nine fillies attempting to stamp themselves in black type including Atlanta’s full sister In Italian, who starts from post five with Dexter Dunn in the bike for trainer Ron Burke. Nancy Takter trainee Brunella, fresh from a 1:56.1 victory from post eight at the Delaware County Fair in the $46,331 Standardbred, scores from post eight with Yannick Gingras in the sulky. She starts just to the outside of Kentucky Commonwealth champ Yes Please, who attains Matt Kakaley’s hands for trainer Tony Alagna. Mambacita, starting from post one, is the 4-1 morning-line favourite in the race off a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Championship final and will have David Miller between the wheels for trainer Tony Alagna.
The winner of the Kentucky Championship for freshman trotting fillies competes in the final dash of the Bluegrass. Ake Svanstedt pupil Special Way (pictured above) lands the pylon post in Race 9 off a 1:52.2 pillar-to-post score and will again spar with Walner Payton, who finished second in the Kentucky Championship final. Walner Payton starts from post five sandwiched in the Tony Alagna duo of Royal Filly (post four), a full sister to Canadian Trotting Classic winner Slay, and Una Madonna, who finished third in the $355,000 Jim Doherty Memorial. The last Woolworth grouping also includes Quick Stop (post two) and Secret Volo (post three), who finished first and second respectively in the $275,000 New Jersey Classic “A” division on Sept. 16 at The Meadowlands.
Each division of the Stay Hungry Bluegrass Stakes is sponsored by the Stay Hungry Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. The Norman Woolworth Woolworth Memorial Bluegrass Stakes is presented by the contingent of Arden Homestead Stable, ET Gerry & Peter Gerry, Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg, Stoner Manor Inc., Menhammer Stuteri AB, Jorgen Jahre Jr., LST Stables, Lawrence DeVan and William DeVan.
First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
(The Red Mile)