The Red Mile will again host three-year-old trotting males and fillies as they compete in their third $40,000 preliminary for the Kentucky Championship Series on Sunday (Aug. 29).
Fillies start the Sunday action with a five-horse contest led by Beltassima, who put in a strong performance to win the first round of the Kentucky Championship on Aug. 8. However the Tony Alagna-trained daughter of Trixton scratched sick from the second round, where trainer-driver Jordan Derue romped with his Muscle Hill filly Empressive Hill. Beltassima starts from Post 5 with Andrew McCarthy in the bike while Empressive Hill comes back for the third round and starts from the pylon post.
Really Fast will try for back-to-back victories when he starts from Post 4 in the colt and gelding division of the Kentucky Championship Series. Dexter Dunn sent the Nancy Takter pupil on a speed mission in his first start following a break in the Hambletonian final and won by open lengths in 1:52.3. He neighbours the left flank of Cuatro De Julio, a Lexington stalwart from last season who took a mark of 1:51.3 when winning a division of the International Stallion Series. Lucas Wallin will drive the Marie Ortolan Bar trainee as he makes his first start since his adventurous mile in the Hambletonian.
Sunday’s card features 10 races total, including three $20,000 divisions of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series – two for the colts and geldings and one for the fillies. First-race post time is 1:00 p.m. (EDT).
(The Red Mile)