On Saturday afternoon The Red Mile will present a 13-race Grand Circuit card headed by the Tattersalls Pace and filly companion Glen Garnsey stake with purses for the day totalling in excess of $1 million.
The Tattersalls Pace drew fourteen entries including the supplemental declaration of Meadowlands Pace champ Hes Watching at a cost of $45,000 to his owners. Hes Watching drew into the first of the two $218,300 Tattersalls divisions which is race eight on the program and he’ll face the current 'it' horse of the division, Always B Miki.
Hes Watching’s last win was in the Empire Breeders Classic final, having since been second in the Cane, unplaced in the Little Brown Jug and last week rallied well from an impossible spot to be second in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes. The famously underpriced colt by American Ideal - Baberhood has returned in excess of $1.1 million on their $3,000 investment for his ownership group comprised of Dave Menary (also his trainer), Brad Gray, Michael Guerriero and the Muscara Racing Trust. Tim Tetrick is his regular driver.
Always B Miki went a trip that people are still talking about ten weeks later to be second in the Meadowlands Pace and has had his way in the Indiana Sires Stakes program since. He returned to open Stakes Company last week in the Bluegrass and absolutely scalded home in :25.3 to close out a 1:47.4 win in that one.
The Always A Virgin colt from Artstopper has really matured into a star for trainer Joe Holloway and owners Bluewood Stable, Val D’Or Farms and breeder Roll The Dice Stable. Dave Miller has the assignment again on Saturday.
The second division goes as race eleven is led by North America Cup winner JK Endofanera, who won that $1 million stake with Brian Sears doing the driving but now has the Grand Circuit’s top reinsman Yannick Gingras aboard. Sears picks up the drive on Little Brown Jug heat winner Lets Drink On It for the Tattersalls.
The Garnsey attracted sixteen pacing fillies with each eight filly division racing for $110,000. Gettingreadytoroll is the likely favourite in the first split, race seven on the program. The Rocknroll Hanover - Captain Holly miss has been her own worst enemy with untimely breaks on a few important occasions this season, but got over the clay beautifully in a Bluegrass division last week in a new personal best of 1:49.2.
The Miss New Jersey champ is from the ever-potent Takter/Gingras combo and owned by Christina Takter, John & Jim Fielding and Adam Bowden’s Diamond Creek Farms.
Gallie Bythe Beach heads up division two, which come two races later. She looks to be finding her best form recently and took a brand new 1:49 record in the Bluegrass for Jules Siegel’s Fashion Farm who also raced her famous mother Galleria then bred her to Somebeachsomewhere, resulting in this filly. Jim Campbell trains Gallie Bythe Beach and Tetrick returns to the sulky off last week’s successful debut.
The supporting card is led by the four $72,000 divisions of the International Stallion Stakes for freshman pacing colts. Current poster boy for the group, Artspeak has drawn the rail in the tenth race where he’ll meet two other Bluegrass winners from last week in Cartoon Daddy and In The Arsenal.
Artspeak has been nothing short of sensational thus far at two with a perfect seven for seven slate and nearly a half million earned for Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Joe Sbrocco and In The Gym Partners. He races from the Tony Alagna barn and Scott Zeron has been at the controls for each of his starts this season.
Cartoon Daddy was impressive in over the Red Mile surface last week, kicking off cover to win his Bluegrass division in 1:50.1 for Gingras and Burke. Equally impressive was In The Arsenal, whose 1:49.4 win for Sears and trainer Kelvin Harrison makes him the fastest freshman on the season.
Saturday’s card starts at 1:00 p.m. and is the penultimate racing program of the 2014 Grand Circuit stand at the venerable Lexington oval with the Kentucky Futurity card bringing down the curtain on Sunday.
(The Red Mile)