Il Villaggio Captures Pride In Progress

The Blair Burgess-trained Il Villaggio and driver Jody Jamieson cruised past trotting titan Arch Madness in the $215,000 Pride In Progress to establish a new track record for aged trotting horses at Indiana Downs

on Wednesday night.

Heavy 2-5 favourite Arch Madness (Brian Sears) sprinted to command from post position six while Rembrandt Spur (Richard Stillings) and Lucky Jim (Andy Miller) made early breaks off the gate. All Cantab (Trace Tetrick) settled into the pocket with Hot Shot Blue Chip (Dave Magee) and trailing tier starter Il Villaggio gapped back in third and fourth.

Arch Madness fired off early fractions of :26.3 and :54.3 before coming under attack from Il Villaggio. Jamieson sent the four-year-old son of Yankee Glide-Dance To Market first up at the half and collared the leader at three-quarters in 1:23.1.

Il Villaggio glided past the $3.2 million earner, who faded to seventh in the stretch, and opened up a four and a quarter length margin en route to a 1:53 triumph. Hot Shot Blue Chip came on for second with the winner's stablemate, All Cantab, finishing third.

The time of the mile shaved one-fifth of a second off Triumphant Caviar's track record for aged trotting horses and was just three-fifths of a second off the overall male record, set by gelding Two Weeks Notice in 2007.

Il Villaggio paid $16 to win as part of the 7-1 third choice entry. Burgess trains the bay trotter for Brittany Farms and the Il Villaggio Partners of Versailles, Kentucky, and Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc. of Wallkill, New York.

Il Villaggio has won half of his 10 starts this year to earn $217,500. Lifetime, he is 12-for-24 with $752,717 banked.

Win Missy B ($11.40) and trainer-driver Charlie Norris captured one of two $105,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management divisions on the card for two-year-old trotting fillies in a 1:56.1 track record while Trond Smedshammer-trained Chilitodayhotamale ($8.20) and driver Brian Sears won the other in 1:56.2. Both fillies bested the former track record of 1:56.3, established by Solveig in 2004.

Two-year-old colt and gelding pacers also faced off in four $40,000 second leg divisions of the Indiana Sires Stakes and the winners were: the undefeated Next Flight In ($3.10) and Peter Wrenn in 1:52.1 for trainer Erv Miller; Fritz Bow ($2.60) in 1:54.2 for driver Mike Peterson and trainer Leroy Slabaugh; Royal Todd ($30.40) and Josh Sutton in 1:56 for conditioner Rodney Lorenzo; and the Dan Bowermaster-trained Mykindachip ($4.20) and Dan Shelter in 1:52.4. Next Flight In equalled Suprizemeagain's two-year-old pacing colt track record, set in 2008. Annieswesterncard holds the 1:50.3 gelding record.