The
fortnight of Grand Circuit racing at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky gets
underway with the Bluegrass Stakes for two year old filly trotters on Thursday,
September 26. This group has had a remarkable season to this point with a
bounty of talented debutantes re-writing the record books throughout the
summer.
Three
divisions of freshman fillies will race over the clay with the first split
carded as race five for a purse of $95,200. Several of the entrants have been
in town for the Kindergarten Classic legs, including Anonyme Hanover who was a
winner her last two in that series. The Explosive Matter lass has displayed an
affinity for the surface but will have to move her game up appreciably to
extend that skein given the caliber of Thursday's competition. Brett Miller
will continue to drive for Burke Racing, Weaver / Bruscemi and Matt Kakaley.
Race
eight is the next stake with nine fillies dueling for $96,200. Cee Bee Yes is
perhaps the most accomplished of this group with a win in the New Jersey Sires
Stakes final heading her resume. The Muscles Yankee filly has won three of
seven this season on her way to banking over $140,000 for Jason & Douglas
Allen. Her personal best of 1:55.1 was taken over the Red Mile two
weeks back. Julie and Andy Miller handle the training and driving duties.
The
tenth and final race of the evening is clearly the most contentious, pitting
the PA Sires champ Designed To Be against the brilliantly fast Cooler Schooner
and Merrie Annabelle winner Shake It Cerry for $96,200.
Designed
To Be has won half of her six career outings including a comfortable five
length romp in the $260,000 PA final in 1:54.3. The Donato Hanover filly
is a winner of nearly $240,000 for Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz. She aslo
resides in the Julie Miller barn and will have Andy aboard.
Cooler
Schooner shocked the harness world with her transcendent 1:51.3 world record
tour of Pocono Downs last month. The Broadway Hall filly is wickedly
fast and just might put up some dazzling numbers over the clay carpet.
John Campbell is her regular driver for trainer Jim Campbell and owner
the Fashion Farms.
Shake
It Cerry has crowded a lifetime of accomplishment into her short five race
career thus far. The Donato Hanover filly is a homebred, raised and raced
by the Solveig Partners and she got off to an astounding start at The
Meadowlands this summer. She looked ferocious in her morning trials for
trainer Jimmy Takter and waltzed to a pair of Pennsylvania wins before
capturing the Merrie Annabelle in a track and stakes record 1:53.3.
In
her next start she caught the above mentioned buzz saw and followed Cooler
Schooner under the wire, trotting her mile in 1:51.4 which would have sealed
her reputation as one of the best freshman fillies of all time, if there wasn't
another filly a length ahead of her. Most recently,
Shake It Cerry went off stride while looking every bit a winner in the Peaceful
Way eliminations at Mohawk. She looks to rebound here with her regular driver
Ron Pierce listed for Thursday's race.
The
Red Mile will race nights Thursday through Saturday with first post at
7pm. Visit the track website for
further information on the Grand Circuit race meet which continues through
Kentucky Futurity Day, October 6.
