The month-long state-bred test contested at The Red Mile will come to a close on Sunday (Sept. 19) with the finals of the Kentucky Championship Series for freshmen and sophomores of each gait and sex fighting for more than $2 million in purses.
Finals action gets underway with the final for two-year-old pacing fillies, which features a three-horse matchup between Sloopy, Captains Princess and Dont Fence Me In. Sloopy, a speedy Ron Burke trainee who took a mark of 1:50.4 in a championship prelim on Aug. 2, starts at the pylons with Yannick Gingras in the bike. She finished runner-up in the last prelim to Dont Fence Me In, who will have Dexter Dunn in the bike for trainer Tony Alagna from Post 3. Between them on the car starts Captains Princess, who gave chase to the two last out to finish third. Andrew McCarthy has the call on that Tony Alagna trainee.
Pebble Beach lost his chance at a series sweep when Caviart Camden (above) bested him by a neck in a world-record 1:48.3 mile on Aug. 24. But coming to the final for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, the Noel Daley trainee faces a group which he has continuously conquered through the series. Todd McCarthy pilots the pacing freshman from Post 3 as the 4-5 morning-line choice.
Several of the country’s top sophomores spar in the final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings. To the inside starts Cuatro De Julio, who collected his first win at The Red Mile last week following his breakthrough season over this course as a freshman. Lucas Wallin drives the Marie Ortolan Bar trainee, who starts opposite of Julie Miller trainee Venerate. Andy Miller steers Venerate from the outermost post in the seven-horse contest off a nose defeat to Cuatro De Julio in the final prelim. The field also includes preliminary winner Really Fast, who will attempt to rebound off a fifth-place finish on Sept. 7, and Dancinginthedark M, who will work to stay flat following a break as the odds-on favourite in the Goodtimes final at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Beltassima put in a strong performance early in the series but scratched sick and has since rebounded to head into the three-year-old trotting filly final as the 9-5 morning-line choice. Andrew McCarthy drives the Tony Alagna trainee from Post 5 in a six-horse contest including road warrior Lady Chaos, who starts from Post 1. Lady Chaos finished second to Empressive Hill in the second preliminary and since shipped back east for the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final, where she finished third, and then soon north to Woodbine Mohawk Park for a $128,208 division of the Simcoe, where she was fifth. David Miller reunites with the Linda Toscano trainee who starts to the inside of Empressive Hill, trainer-driver Jordan Derue’s charge who owns two preliminary victories.
Blue Diamond Eyes lands Post 6 in the final for three-year-old pacing fillies off a 1:47.2 effort in the final preliminary. Yannick Gingras drives the Ron Burke pupil, who starts to the inside of So Irresistible, also a prelim winner. High Minded, another prelim winner, starts from Post 2 wide of Single Girl, trainer Randal Jerrell’s local upstart who dominated the Kentucky fair circuit prior to the series.
Goldies Legacy was also robbed of a potential series sweep by Komodo Beach on Aug. 22, but the Jeff Cullipher trainee nonetheless enters the final for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings with the morning line’s nod. Yannick Gingras has the drive from Post 1 off three victories in the series, all coming with Komodo Beach finishing second. Todd McCarthy pilots his main rival, Komodo Beach from Post 2 for trainer Brett Pelling.
Selfie Queen also tries to complete a near series sweep in the final for rookie trotting fillies. The Nancy Takter trainee has one blemish to her series’ card when she broke stride at the top of the stretch of the Aug. 15 preliminary, won by Jim Doherty and now Peaceful Way winner Venerable. Dexter Dunn drives the 7-5 choice as she preps for the Mohawk Million, earning a slot owned by EquineX through her Kentucky Championship efforts.
Kentucky Championship action closes with the most wide-open contest of the eight in the two-year-old colt and gelding trot. Keg Stand starts as the slight favourite at 3-1 despite not racing in the series since Aug. 23, where he finished third. He scratched sick from the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final and enters off a 1:56.1 qualifier gone over the red clay on Sept. 7. Dexter Dunn pilots the Nancy Takter trainee from Post 8 in a field with numerous preliminary winners including Classic Hill from Post 1, Double Deceiver from Post 3 and S I P from Post 4.
Sunday’s card also features the $50,000 Kentucky Commonwealth finals for the rookie colts and geldings. First is the freshman trot, where morning-line favorite Branded By Lindy will have to overcome Post 10. Yannick Gingras drives the Domenico Cecere trainee, who has won thrice in Commonwealth preliminaries. He starts right to the outside of Access, who has won twice in the series and will have Andrew McCarthy in the sulky for Bob Stewart.
Six Feet Apart leads a Brian Brown trio for the freshmen pacing colts and geldings final. David Miller drives the 8-5 choice who has three wins from four starts in the series with his only defeat coming when he had to cut through traffic from a second-tier post. Boston, who beat Six Feet Apart in that prelim on Aug. 24, starts to right to the inside of the morning-line favourite with Todd McCarthy in the bike for trainer Brett Pelling.
The remaining six finals of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series will be contested on Monday (Sept. 20) at The Red Mile. First-race post time for Sunday’s championship card is 1:00 p.m. (EDT).
(Red Mile)