International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies were front and centre Thursday, October 2 at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, and Muscle Hill filly Mission Brief put in an ultra-impressive 1:50.3 world record performance.
Simply put, Mission Brief has been dynamite when she has stayed flat. She had won five of her eight starts heading into her International Stallion Stakes split Thursday, as breaks in stride had been the culprit in all of her three losses.
On Thursday Mission Brief was flat, explosive, and much the best, as the daughter of Muscle Hill trounced her rivals with a monster 1:50.3 world-record-lowering mile. Before her sizzling effort, she had been the co-world record holder for a two-year-old trotting filly on a mile track (1:52.1), which she had co-held with Jolene Jolene.
Pilot Yannick Gingras lined Mission Brief up into Post 3 for her International Stallion Stakes split. The pair timed the gate perfectly, scooted out to the lead, and it spelled out the beginning of the end for the rest of the field.
Mission Brief, who is trained by Ron Burke, cut the opening quarter in 28 seconds and sliced the opening half in :55.1. She started to pour it on in the third quarter. The filly whizzed by the third stanza in 1:23 after having opened up a lot of room between herself and her foes. Mission Brief was impressive through the stretch, as she continued to open up more daylight and simply romped in the 1:50.3 mile.
Mission Brief, who was purchased for $150,000 at the 2013 Lexington Select Sale, is co-owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC (Fredericktown, PA), Our Horse Cents Stables (Clifton Park, NY), J And T Silva Stables LLC (Long Beach, NY) and Weaver Bruscemi LLC (Canonsburg, PA).
Mission Brief was sent off as the 1-5 post time choice and returned $2.40 for the win. Gold Cora (Tim Tetrick) finished second and Hot Start (David Miller) finished third.
“We knew last week while training that this track fit her,” Burke said in the winner’s circle afterward. He later stated that Mission Brief “can break track records pretty easily” and that the filly is “super freaky.”
Speaking of Mission Brief’s past breaks in stride, Burke said, “It’s never been a soundness thing with her or gaited – it’s all just been a mental thing.”
Flirting Filly kicked off the two-year-old trotting filly splits with a sustained, first-over effort for trainer Jimmy Takter and driver Yannick Gingras.
Flirting Filly’s 1:54.3 victory was a life’s best mile for the daughter of Broadway Hall who was a $170,000 yearling buy in the 2013 Lexington Selected Sale.
Gingras and Flirting Filly had lined up in Post 2 for the $80,500 opening division. The pair opted to sit mid-pack through the opening quarter, which was cut in 28 seconds. The pilot called on his charge in the second panel. Flirting Filly was first-over in second quarter as Kirsi Hanover clicked off the opening half in :56.1.
Flirting Filly was on top by the time the 1:25.1 three-quarters pole lit up, and at that point Gingras and his mount had to fend off a charge by Wiclet Hanover (driven by Ake Svanstedt) who was making a bid for the front.
Flirting Filly was up to the task in the final quarter and held off late moves by Ready To Ignite (Ron Pierce) and Aarena Hanover (David Miller). Ready To Ignite had tipped wide in the lane and was closing with a flurry, while Aarena Hanover had darted to the inside and was excelling along the pylons.
The judges lit the inquiry sign after the race, as Ready To Ignite was on a break near the wire. After the inquiry, the judges announced that Ready To Ignite was not lapped on and would not be placed back.
Flirting Filly returned $14.80 for the win and topped the exactor with Ready To Ignite. Aarena Hanover rounded out the triactor.
After the race, Gingras commented on Takter’s recent decision to add trotting hopples to Flirting Filly’s equipment. “Her gait has never been the problem,” said Gingras, adding, “it was more her mind, the hopples seem to keep her mind on her business.”
Flirting Filly is owned by Brittany Farms of Versailles, Kentucky, along with Marvin Katz of Toronto, Ontario and Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ont.
As expected, Livininthefastlane was the best in the third division of the International Stallion Stakes. Tim Tetrick settled the trotting filly into third while Bee The Queen (Brian Sears) fronted the field through a :28.3 opening quarter. Pad Princess (Marcus Miller) started the first-over flow as the field reached the :56.2 half, flushing Tetrick and his filly from the pocket.
The two favourites on the toteboard -- Bee The Queen and Livininthefastlane -- were stride-for-stride as the third quarter was reached in 1:25.3 but as the field turned for home Livininthefastlane forged to the front. Tetrick kept his trotter on task and she was a comfortable winner over Pad Princess in a lifetime best 1:53.4 with Bee The Queen rounding out the triactor.
"I picked her up at the right time; she's had some good races all year but the last few she's really put it together," said Tetrick in the post-race interview. "I'm just happy to be the one here in the winner's circle with her."
Now two-for-two with Tetrick driving, Livininthefastlane (Donato Hanover - Nicols Promise) is trained by Julie Miller for Ontario's Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld and Sam Goldband. With her fourth win in nine lifetime starts, Livininthefastlane now boasts more than $205,000 in earnings.
The final International Stallion Stakes split of the day went to the George Ducharme-trained and Brian Sears-driven Concentration, who closed hard in what was a life’s best 1:54.1 performance.
The race saw a lot of action up front through the first three quarters of the mile, and Sears was able to work out a second-over trip with the daughter of Conway Hall and fire home for the timely score. “It was a classic Lexington trip that you look to have around here,” Sears said afterward. “There was a lot of action up front, so we kind of worked up into it.”
Lilu Hanover (Scott Zeron) had charged up overland to click off the 28-second opening quarter. Lilu Hanover was still on top at the :55.3 half-mile marker, but was feeling the heat from Love Me Madly (John Campbell), who had come calling first-up from the backfield. Love Me Madly then wrestled the lead away from Lilu Hanover and was first to the three-quarter marker, which was tripped in 1:24.2. Love Me Madly then sparred with Shaqline (Yannick Gingras) up front as the field headed into the stretch.
Since so much had happened during the first three quarters of the dash, the rest of the field made late bids for the wire, but it was Sears and Concentration, whom were racing widest of all, that were able to get up and snag all the marbles.
Concentration, who is owned by Raymond Campbell Jr. of Belchertown, MA, returned $36.80 on a successful win wager. Shaqline finished second and Lilu Hanover hung on for third.