Two-year-old trotting and pacing fillies will be front and centre during this Friday’s (Sept. 27) live program at the Red Mile. A total of $610,500 in purses will be on the line in the Bluegrass, which will be contested over a total of six divisions.
Four divisions for trotters will feature a total of $330,000 in purses, while a pair of divisions for pacers will feature a total of $280,500 in purses.
Shishito tops the opening trotting division. Trained by Per Engblom, the daughter of Father Patrick enters off of a third-place finish in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship and, recently, a second-place finish in the $250,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes Final. Dexter Dunn drives the three-time winner that has banked over $180,000 in earnings for owners Black Horse Racing and John Fielding.
In the second of the splits for the trotters, Ron Burke trainee Sister Sledge will try to stay undefeated. The Father Patrick filly has won all seven of her starts to this point, which includes a 1:55.1 victory in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship, and has banked $264,562. Yannick Gingras will drive from Post 2 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Jason Melillo, Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables, Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Kentucky Sire Stakes champ Ms Savannah Belle heads the third division for the trotters. The Al Libfeld homebred won in both of her Kentucky Sire Stakes prelims before trotting to a career-best 1:52.4 mile in the $250,000 final. Driver Yannick Gingras will be steering the winner of three races and $179,658 in purses for trainer Per Engblom.
Tony Alagna’s lightly-raced Muscle Hill filly Ramona Hill will put her unbeaten record on the line in the final trotting division. After winning by open lengths in prelims of the Kindergarten at the Meadowlands in July, Ramona Hill sat on the sidelines until September 12 when she qualified in 1:57.2. She is heading into her Friday test off of a 1:54.2 victory in the $30,000 Kentuckiana Consolation at Hoosier Park. Andrew McCarthy sits behind the earner of $25,000, who will start from Post 2.
The $139,750 opening division of the Bluegrass filly pace will feature a field of eight. The field is fronted by Rocknificent, a winner of three of six races that has banked $128,162. The Linda Toscano-trained daughter of Captaintreacherous heads in off of a fourth-place finish in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship. Brian Sears will drive Rocknificent from Post 6 for owners Enviro Stables Ltd., South Mountain Stables and Little E LLC.
Gai Waterhouse will start from Post 1 in the pacers’ $140,750 second division. She is heading into the tilt off of a 1:50.3 career-best performance, which was recorded in her Kentucky Sire Stakes final. The Domenico Cecere trainee has won two of her four starts and has accrued $155,000 in earnings for owner Lindy Farms of Connecticut. Yannick Gingras will sit in the bike.
Baby Your The Best will face Gai Waterhouse Friday and will start from Post 6. Baby You’re the Best finished second to Gai Waterhouse in the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship. The Linda Toscano trainee has won two races from seven starts and has finished no worse than second in every other outing. The Captaintreacherous filly has banked $209,220 in purses for owners Richard and Joanne Young and will have David Miller at her reins on Friday.
Friday’s nine-race card at the Red Mile also features two late-closing events for two-year-old trotting colts and a single late-closing dash for pacing fillies and mares.
The Red Mile’s Friday racing will get underway with the Grand Circuit meeting’s now-regular first-race post time of 1:00 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from the Red Mile)