By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON, KY-- A trio of divisions were carded
for the $292,200 Bluegrass two-year-old colt pace and the $243,000 Bluegrass
two-year-old filly pace, set to go on Friday, Oct. 2 at The Red Mile.
The opening split of the Bluegrass filly pace
kicks off the Grand Circuit program, with seven fillies set to line up on the
gate. Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final runner-up Call Me Queen Be headlines the
event off a win in a $127,150 division of the Kentuckiana Stakes at Hoosier
Park on Sept. 26. Owned by Let It Ride Stables and Dana Parnham, the Ross
Croghan-trainee will face New Jersey Sires Stakes champion Blue Moon Stride,
who enters off a 1:55.1 qualifier at Pocono Downs. She’s owned by Emilio and
Maria Rosati and is trained by Mark Harder.
Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champion Pure Country,
competing for the interests of Diamond Creek Racing, will be competing for her
seventh win-in-a-row in the second division. Up against the Jimmy
Takter-trained filly is She’s A Great Lady finalist Upside Surprise, drawing in
after finishing fourth in a New York Sires Stakes split at Batavia Downs on
Sept. 16. Trained by Ross Croghan, she’ll start from post 1.
Shezarealdeal leads the final division, shipping
in after a win in a $35,000 division of the Liberty Bell at Harrah's
Philadelphia. The $122,567 earner also had to her credit a fourth in the
$350,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final. Ross Croghan trains for interests Let
It Ride Stables and Dana Parnham.
Ron Burke's pacer East Side Hanover is another
contender in the last episode, coming into this race after finishing third in a
division of the Liberty Bell. The Somebeachsomewhere filly's grand
accomplishment came in the $40,000 Stallion Series, where she won by 12 1/2
lengths in 1:54.2. She'll start from the rail.
Prefacing the final filly group is the premier
colt split, going for $97,400. Tony Alagna-trained American Passport, starting
from post 5, broke his maiden in his last mile, winning in 1:52.2 in the
$150,150 Elevation at Hoosier Park. He also finished second in an elimination
of the Metro Pace and a $59,543 division of the Nassagaweya at Mohawk. The
American Ideal colt competes for connections Brittany Farms, Riverview Racing,
Alagna Racing, and Jodi Siamis.
Improving into this event is Thomas Cancelliere
trainee I'm Some Graduate. Debuting in mid-July, he has since made five starts,
with four wins and one second. His wins have come from a division of The
Stallion Series, an overnight, a division of the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes and
the $50,000 consolation. Owned by John Cancelliere, I'm Some Graduate will race
from post 8.
The second split of colts features Biggie, who
won a split of The Stallion Series at The Meadows in 1:51.4. Trained by Ron
Burke, he has won two races in six outings, with the other being in an
overnight at Harrah's Philadelphia. Competing for Jerry & Theresa Silva
Stables, T L P Stables, and Deo Volente Farms, rivaling him are maidens
Mindtrip and Fine Diamond, with both entering off of second-place efforts.
Mindtrip placed to stable-mate American Passport in the Elevation on Sept. 26,
while Fine Diamond was second at 67-1 in the $225,000 New York Sires Stakes
final at Yonkers Raceway. Ron Burke trains Fine Diamond for owners Burke Racing
and Weaver Bruscemi, Lawrence Karr, and Panhellenic Stable. Mindtrip races for
Alagna and Crawford Racing, Joe Sbrocco, John Fodera, and Tangie Massey.
The last colt division also caps the Friday
program. Winner of the $85,400 Lou Babic Memorial Ideal Rocky competes from
post 1. John Butenschoen trains the four-time winner in nine miles for owners
William Wiswell, Jean Goehlen, and Eugene Schickwith. The Rocknroll Hanover
colt's notable achievements being a second in a Metro Pace elimination and a
fifth in the final. Racing Hill, another Metro Pace finalist, will neighbor
Ideal Rocky on the gate. The son of Roll With Joe, owned by Tom Hill, has won
two races in six tries and draw into this race off a 1:52 qualifier at
Lexington. Trained by Tony Alagna, he was seventh in the Metro final, but
followed that performance with a fourth in a $88,055 division of the Champlain
at Mohawk.
The 11-race program slated for Friday, Oct. 2
commences at 7:00pm.
