Lexington, KY
– The Red Mile hosted qualifying races at noon today after an hour postponement
while the track recovered from last night’s deluge. By then it was dry and
kinda fast, maybe a little dull with moderate temperatures and no wind.
2-year-old trotters
opened the eight race card and Tactical Landing was a 1:56 winner for driver
Charlie Norris. The big colt took over at the three-eighths, cruised past the
half in 58:3 then opened up a long lead which he carried to the wire, trotting
home in 28 seconds. He’s the pride of the Tactical Landing Stable who gave a
king’s ransom of $800,000 for the full brother to champion filly Mission Brief
last fall at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and turned him over to Bob
Stewart to train. Prince William (Tony Alagna) was up on the wire to be second.
Jimmy Takter drove the A
Rocknroll Dance homebred freshman colt Caviart Sundance to a 1:56.2 / 27.2 win
for his daughter Nancy Johansson and owner Caviart Farms.
Takter came right back
to win the third race with Quantum Kemp, the Muscle Hill x Emilie Cas El
brother to Hambletonian winner Trixton, among other stars. The pair went along
on an easy lead through the 58.2 half and 1:28.3 three quarters and finished
under his own power in 1:57.2. Brixton Medical, John Fielding, Joyce McClelland
and Herb Liverman own Quantum Kemp, a $200,000 Lexington yearling buy. Nala AS
(Elliott Deaton) was second.
Odds On Stephanie, the
2-year-old full sister to Captaintreacherous was a 1:57.3 winner with trainer
Tony (Golden Hands) Alagna doing the driving. The pair scooted home in 28.1
after setting all the fractions Badlilvelocity (Mark Evers) was a good second.
Odds On Stephanie was a $230,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase by Dana
Parham and races under his nom de course of Odds On Racing.
Lagerfeld made his first
appearance of the season here at The Red Mile today and the 2016 Hambletonian
finalist came home a 1:56 winner, trotting home in 27.2 for Takter. The career
winner of over $666,000 looked sharp after having been away for nine months.
Fusion Man (Trevor Smith) was second and Signal Hill (Alagna) a closing third.
Alagna qualified a nice
pair of unraced 3-year-olds in the last two races.
First up was a pretty
trotting filly named Chardonnay Hill who was an easy winner in 1:58.3. She’s a
Muscle Massive from Fortune Dream who was making her lifetime debut for owner
Tom Hill.
In the very next race it
was Americam Nation, an American Ideal colt from Docdor Cameo who was a closing
third into a 27.2 final quarter of a 1:55.2 mile won by 2015 Kentucky Sires
Stake final winner Tail Gunner Hall. Brittany Farms, Deo Volenet Farms, In The
Gym Partners and Americam Art Stable have been waiting on this guy and he’s
finally there.
Live racing returns on
Saturday with the KYSS 2-year-old pacers starting at 7:00 p.m.
