Champions Converge Closing Day at The Red Mile

By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile

LEXINGTON, KY— Closing day at The Red Mile, headlined by the $600,000 125^th renewal of the Kentucky Futurity, features other sophomore stars competing in two heats of the $240,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity, two divisions of the $406,000 American Ideal Tattersalls Pace, and the $234,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial, as well as older competitors going in the $67,000 Crawford Farms Allerage Farms Mare Trot and the $105,000 Four Roses Allerage Farms Mare Pace, on Sunday, October 8.

Elimination one for the Kentucky Futurity, sponsored by Hunterton Farms, Stoner Manor Inc., and Menhammer Stuteri, draws Perfect Spirit, the de facto winner of the 2017 Hambletonian, starting from post eight with trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt at the helms for owner Srf Stable. With $653,919 in earnings and seven wins to his 17-race resume, the Andover Hall colt, from the Kadabra mare Good Common Cents, has raced once since the Hambletonian, finishing second in a $30,000 Simpson Memorial split at Harrah’s Philadelphia to Stealth Hanover, who starts from post one in the same elim.

What The Hill, disqualified from first in the Hambletonian, goes from post eight in the second elimination with David Miller in the bike for trainer Ron Burke. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stable, Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables, and Deo Volente Farms, the Muscle Hill colt, from the Angus Hall mare K T Cha Cha, exits a sixth-place finish in the Bluegrass after attempting to set a hot pace. He has eight wins on his 25-race record, and $719,612 in earnings, including wins in the Canadian Trotting Classic and Peter Haughton Memorial.

Opting to race against the fillies, Ariana G starts from post four in the opening elimination for the Filly Futurity, sponsored by Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld. Winning her Bluegrass division by four-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:52.2, the Muscle Hill filly, out of the Cantab Hall mare Cantab It All, added a 19^th win to her 23-start career, earning over $1.5-million for owner-breeders Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld. Yannick Gingras steers the Jimmy Takter trainee.

Takter also sends Thats All Moni, exiting a 1:52.2 win in the Bluegrass, from post one in the second elimination. Winning nine of her 21 starts, the Cantab Hall filly, out of the Pine Chip mare Mom’s Millionaire, has accrued $455,914 in earnings for owners Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, and Al Libfeld. Tim Tetrick will drive.

After finishing fifth in the second heat of the Little Brown Jug, Downbytheseaside returns to the track in the first division of the Tattersalls Pace, sponsored by Brittany Stallion Management, starting from post one against frosh-champ Huntsville, himself entering from a defeat. Downbytheseaside, a Somebeachsomewhere colt out of the Allamerican Native mare Sprig Hanover, has won 17 races in 28 starts, including the Messenger Stakes and Carl Milstein Memorial, earning over $1.6-million for owners Country Club Acres, Joe Sbrocco, Richard Lombardo, and Diamond Creek Racing. Brian Sears drives from trainer Brian Brown.

Huntsville, second to Little Brown Jug-winner Filibuster Hanover in 1:48.4 in a Bluegrass split last week, matches with Downbytheseaside for the first time since the Cane Pace. A winner of 15 races in 25 starts, Huntsville, by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Western Hanover mare Wild West Show, has earned over $1.7-million for owners Ted Gewertz, Steven Arnold, Crawford Farms Racing, and trainer Ray Schnittker. Tim Tetrick will drive from post three.

North America Cup and Adios-winner Fear The Dragon neighbors Filibuster Hanover in the second division of the Tattersalls. Owned by Emerald Highlands Farms, the Brian Brown-trained colt by Dragon Again, from the Western Ideal mare Armbro Cinnamon, has won 16 races in 25 starts, amassing over $1.3-million in earnings. Off a fourth-place finish in the Little Brown Jug, David Miller drives from post two.

Filibuster Hanover, starting from the rail, scored his sixth win in 28 starts, taking his Bluegrass division in a career-best clocking. The gelding by Somebeachsomewhere, out of the Western Hanover mare Fashion Ecstasy, has earned $669,958 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Joe Di Scala Jr., Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables, and Weaver Bruscemi. Yannick Gingras drives for trainer Ron Burke.

Entering off three-consecutive victories, Caviart Ally goes from post nine in the Glen Garnsey Memorial, sponsored by Diamond Creek Farms. By Bettor’s Delight out of the No Nukes mare Allamerican Cool, Caviart Ally, a winner of nine races in 30 starts, earning $629,625 for owner Caviart Farms, won her division of the Bluegrass last week as the odds-on favorite in 1:51, which followed her 1:51.3 victory in the Jugette, besting Blazin Britches, who starts from post two. Andrew McCarthy will be in the bike for trainer Noel Daley.

Pasithea Face S draws the outermost post in the Allerage Mare Trot, sponsored by Michelle and Albert Crawford, going from post five with Tim Tetrick piloting the Jimmy Takter trainee. Owned by Courant Inc., the five-year-old Muscle Hill mare, out of the Passionnant mare Jovelinotte, has 12 wins to her credit in 38 starts, including wins in the John Steele Memorial and Dayton Trotting Derby, earning $562,815.

World-champion Emoticon Hanover competes against Pasithea Face S, going from post three. Exiting an open-length victory in the Ms Versatility, Emoticon Hanover, by Kadabra from the Ken Warkentin mare Emmylou Who, has won 14 races in 35 starts, compiling $873,802 in earnings for owner Determination Inc. Daniel Dube will drive for conditioner Luc Blais.

Milton Stakes-winner Blue Moon Stride, off a second-place effort in an Open at The Red Mile last week, starts from post two in the Allerage Mare Pace, presented by Four Roses Bourbon. The four-year-old Rocknroll Hanover mare, from the Cam’s Card Shark mare Classic Star, has earned nearly $1-million over 44 starts, winning 14. She is trained by Mark Harder and will be driven by David Miller.

Also entered in the Mare Pace are millionaires Lady Shadow, the nearly $2-million earner starting from post one for trainer Ron Adams and driver Yannick Gingras, Sassa Hanover, going from post seven with Matt Kakaley driving for trainer Ron Burke, and Pure Country, the $2-million earner trained by Jimmy Takter with Mark MacDonald driving from post 10.

First-race post for closing day at The Red Mile is set for 1:00 p.m. EDT.