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Sunday, September 29, 2019

Treacherous Reign Soars To Bluegrass Score


By Nicholas Barnsdale, for The Red Mile

LEXINGTON, KY—Treacherous Reign overpowered her competition in the $163,100 American Ideal Bluegrass Stakes, sponsored by Brittany Stallion Management, on Saturday, Sept. 28 at The Red Mile as she ground a first-over trip to win by a length.

Beautyonthebeach was sent forward from post 6, but 4-5 favorite Tall Drink Hanover quickly swooped by just after a :26.2 opening quarter. She maintained the lead to the half in :54.1 and three-quarters in 1:22.1 but could do little to resist Treacherous Reign as the field of 11 turned for home. Driver Dexter Dunn kept the Tony Alagna trainee to task down the lane and held off Beautyonthebeach to stop the clock in 1:49.4. Queen Of The Pride had late pace and moved up for third. Tall Drink Hanover, who Alagna also trains, faded and finished seventh.

“A lot of people forget that she did win the Fan Hanover, defeating Warrawee Ubeaut,” Alagna said after the race. “Of course, Warrawee Ubeaut has gotten better over the course of the year, but this is a very nice filly in her own right. The other filly got used pretty good—Tall Drink Hanover—to get to the front, but she definitely didn’t look like she was on her game today. Not to take anything away from this filly; she came first over the hard way at the half and got the job done.”

The $50,000 Lexington Select collected her 11th win from 26 starts, and she has now earned more than $680,000 for Alagna Racing, Big Al’s Stables, Let It Ride Stables, and Dana L. The daughter of Captaintreacherous, bred by White Birch Farm, paid $12.20 to win.

Grand Circuit action resumes at The Red Mile on Sunday, Sept. 28 with seven total Bluegrass dashes. The sophomore pacing colts compete in three divisions of the $267,400 Captaintreacherous Bluegrass Stakes while the three-year-old trotting colts race in two divisions of the $192,200 International Moni Bluegrass Stakes and the three-year-old trotting fillies race in two divisions of the $218,000 Bar Hopping Bluegrass Stakes. Racing gets underway with first-race post at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).