Pacing colts, geldings and fillies are set to compete in their opening round of the Kentucky Championship Series, which will go in a total of three $40,000 divisions on Monday (Aug. 2) at The Red Mile.
Monday’s card opens with the lone dash for pacing fillies – an event that aligns six behind the gate. Tony Alagna pupil Dont Fence Me In starts as the slight morning line choice from the pylon post over Ron Burke’s Downbytheseaside filly Sloopy, who goes as the second choice and starts widest of the sextet. Dont Fence Me In enters off a gate-to-wire score in 1:52.3 in the opening round of the Kindergarten, while Sloopy starts following a pair of off-the-pace cheque grabs in the Ohio Sires Stakes. Dexter Dunn pilots Alagna’s Captaintreacherous filly, while Yannick Gingras will sit behind Sloopy.
Colts and geldings cap the early daily double with their first division of the Championship Series, led by Caviart Farms’ homebred Caviart Camden. The Huntsville colt has two victories to his credit from three starts, the most recent an off-cover win in 1:52.2 with a :26.1 final quarter. Gingras retains the drive on the Alagna trainee and will start from post 5 in the seven-horse field.
Inside of the morning line choice starts Pebble Beach, who went a hard-luck trip on debut in an Ohio Sires Stakes event at Northfield but followed that effort with a powerful stretch kick to win in 1:51.1 at The Meadowlands. Todd McCarthy sits behind the Downbytheseaside colt for trainer Noel Daley and will score from post one.
Todd McCarthy returns in the afternoon’s seventh race to pilot the second-division favourite I Did It Myway, who also starts from the pylon post. The Tony Alagna-trained colt by Captaintreacherous is undefeated from three starts – his first victory coming in a division of the Geers at The Meadowlands and his other two in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes competition. He competes against five others, including a pair listed at 3-1 in Indiana invader Western Era, who enters off a 1:52.2 victory in a state-sired event, and Chris Ryder trainee Vicious.
Monday’s 11-race card also features five $20,000 divisions for the Kentucky Commonwealth Series, three for colts and geldings and two for fillies. First-race post time is at 1 p.m. (EDT).
(The Red Mile)