The newly-minted National Driving Champion Doug McNair took his show on the road Friday and was triumphant amid Grand Circuit stakes action at The Red Mile.
Prescient Beauty blew off cover and swept to a length victory in 1:51.1 to take the $91,700 third and final division of the Artspeak Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Filly Pace for McNair and his father Gregg, who trains the winner.
Undefiable took the lead as Annie Hill pushed through at the rail for the pocket. Prescient Beauty sat seventh as Undefiable paced the first quarter in :29.1. St Somewhere, away fifth from post nine, edged off the rail heading to the half and sprinted to the top following a :56.4 half. May Bride Hanover tracked the backside brush, with Prescient Beauty on cover, but travelled uncovered into the final turn.
St Somewhere’s lead narrowed to three-quarters, timed in 1:24.3, as May Bride Hanover dug into the pacesetter on the outside. Prescient Beauty tipped three-wide into the stretch as May Bride Hanover retreated and St Somewhere continued on the lead. The odds-on favourite surged to the front late in the mile to best St Somewhere with Annie Hill chasing third and Jk Mardi Says snagging fourth.
A homebred for owner James Avritt Sr., Prescient Beauty won her fourth race in nine starts and has now collected $178,537 in lifetime earnings. The daughter of Art Major paid $3.40 to win.
Joe Holloway trainee Zero Tolerance topped the two-year-old filly pacers as she vaulted from off cover and nailed pacesetter Queen Of The Pride for the 1:51 win in the second division.
Driver David Miller positioned the daughter of Heston Blue Chip in fifth as Queen Of The Pride posted a :27.2 opening quarter on the front. Shes Allright, sitting third, was flushed first-over as Beautyonthebeach angled off the rail from fourth heading toward a :55.1 half. Zero Tolerance, still fifth, entered the flow third-over.
Shes Allright pressured Queen Of The Pride to three-quarters while Beautyonthebeach fanned three-wide along with Zero Tolerance in behind. Past that station in 1:24, Shes Allright stalled as Queen Of The Pride accelerated into the stretch. Beautyonthebeach rallied but hung from off cover while Zero Tolerance rallied widest of all to slide past Queen Of The Pride in the final strides. Beautyonthebeach took third from Shes Allright.
Winning her seventh race from nine starts, Zero Tolerance competes for owners Val D’Or Farms and Ted Gewertz and has earned $241,291 so far in her career. She paid $5.60 to win.
Stonebridge Soul paced to the top early and withstood late pressure to win the first division of Bluegrass in 1:52.1.
The Chris Ryder-trained daughter of Somebeachsomewhere cleared to command from early leader Bestseller Hanover at the quarter in :28. High Reward, sitting third, edged first-over past a :57 half to apply pressure to the pacesetter around the final turn with Blue Ivy in tow second-over.
Maintaining a short lead by three-quarters in 1:25.3, Stonebridge Soul turned away High Reward in the stretch. Blue Ivy kicked off cover from second-over and began a pursuit towards the center of the track with Louphoria wider and Sweet Lucy Lou weaving through competition towards the inside. Stonebridge Soul extended to the line as Blue Ivy snagged and held second from Louphoria, charging home for third. Sweet Lucy Lou took fourth.
Winning her third race in eight starts, Stonebridge Soul, owned by Henderson Farms and Robert Mondillo, pushed her earnings to $116,790. Dexter Dunn piloted the $5.60 winner.
Overcoming post 10, the Jim Campbell-trained Cloud Nine Fashion stayed undefeated with a 1:55.3 victory, her sixth career win, in the last of four divisions of the Norman Woolworth Memorial Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Filly Trot.
Driven by David Miller, the 8-5 favoured daughter of Muscle Hill floated away seventh to the quarter while Sisters Promise progressed past early leader Whispering Oaks through a :28.1 opening quarter. Cloud Nine Fashion moved off the rail in the backstretch and flushed cover from Speed Titan heading to a :57.4 half.
Speed Titan ranged toward tempo-setter Sisters Promise circling the final turn. Cloud Nine Fashion, positioned fourth, kicked off cover following the 1:27.3 third quarter. She advanced to the lead through the stretch as Speed Titan fought towards her inside and Conway Kellyanne, from third-over at 132-1, launched through the center of the course. Cloud Nine Fashion held a length margin on the line as Conway Kellyanne snatched second from Speed Titan and Whispering Oaks was fourth.
Cloud Nine Fashion has e arned $113,875 in her six victories racing for Fashion Farms LLC. She returned $5.40 to win.
Even-money favourite Evident Beauty caught cover moving into the final turn and gradually progressed to the front in the stretch to take the $93,000 first division of Bluegrass in 1:54.4, also in rein to Miller.
Double-digit contender Southwind Storm swept to the top from post eight as Mother Teresa inherited the pocket spot from the rail and Graceful tucked into third. Southwind Storm trotted to the quarter in :29.1 and sped to the half while widening her lead. In front by two and a half lengths through a :57.1 half, Southwind Storm continued leading around the far turn while Asiago, from fourth, gradually reeled in the pacesetter from first-over, carrying Global Pageant second-over and Evident Beauty third-over.
Asiago advanced to the lead past three-quarters in 1:26.1 as Evident Beauty kicked three-wide from fourth. The Richard “Nifty” Norman trainee slowly gained ground through the stretch and took a narrow lead on Global Pageant taking second nearing the wire before winning by a neck. Asiago held third while Golden Tricks checked in fourth.
Evident Beauty is owned by Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, Ont., R A W Equine Inc. of Burlington, Ont., and New York-based Little E LLC. The filly by Trixton won her second race from six starts and pushed her earnings to $146,332. She paid $4 to win.
Jim Doherty Memorial and Peaceful Way winner The Ice Dutchess claimed her third consecutive victory with a 1:54.4 on-the-front performance for owner Coyote Wynd Farms of Vancouver, B.C.
Driver Yannick Gingras placed the Jimmy Takter-trained filly by Muscle Hill fourth as Bellas Rose Power paced to the quarter in :29.1. Gingras angled wide with The Ice Dutchess before entering the backstretch and brushed to the top heading to the half, timed in :57.4.
Starita, the second betting choice who was positioned fifth, tipped first-over heading into the final turn and stalled a touch before rolling towards the leader. The Ice Dutchess remained on the lead by three-quarters in 1:26.4 and coasted through the stretch with Starita besting Bellas Rose Power in a photo for second and Ma Was Right finishing fourth.
Winning her fifth race from eight starts, The Ice Dutchess lifted her bankroll to $395,915. She paid $3 to win.
The Noel Daley-trained Trixton filly Princess Deo weaved through competition at the rail and held off a late charge from favourite Special Honor to win the other Bluegrass split in 1:55.1.
Hanna Dreamgirl left for the lead from post eight and cleared from Scirocco Donnahill through a :28 opening quarter. Princess Deo, positioned third, stuck to the inside as Jezzys Legacy moved first-over with Fade Into You and Special Honor on cover heading to the half. Hanna Dreamgirl continued on the lead through a :57.2 midpoint.
Jezzys Legacy applied minor pressure to Hanna Dreamgirl rounding the final turn as Fade Into You and Special Honor mounted their wide bids heading by the 1:27.1 third quarter. Fade Into You kicked to the lead in the stretch as Jezzys Legacy lost ground and Hanna Dreamgirl clung to position.
Princess Deo, shooting around fading pocket-sitter Scirocco Donnahill and through a seam at the pylons, powered to command entering the eighth pole. Special Honor lunged late towards the center of the track but settled for second, a half-length behind. Fade Into You finished third ahead of Hanna Dreamgirl fourth.
Owned by Noel Daley, Deo Volente Farms LLC and John Fodera, Princess Deo won her second race from eight starts and now has $72,106 in earnings. Andrew McCarthy sat behind the $16 winner.
Grand Circuit action continues at The Red Mile Saturday, Sept. 29 with five divisions of the $367,000 Western Ideal Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace, sponsored by Hanover Shoe Farms and Brittany Farms, and a single dash of the $126,000 American Ideal Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Filly Pace, sponsored by Brittany Stallion Management. Racing gets going Saturday with first-race post at 7 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from The Red Mile)