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Thursday, October 3, 2019

Pacers Flood Penultimate Grand Circuit Card at Red Mile



By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile

LEXINGTON, KY—The Saturday, Oct. 5 card at The Red Mile—the second to last program of the Grand Circuit meet—draws four divisions of the $275,000 Betting Line International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts, a single soph-filly pace dash for the $216,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial and the $186,000 Mister Big Allerage Farms Open Pace.

Off a third-place performance in the $562,500 Metro Pace, Capt Midnight returns to the track in the first division of the Betting Line, sponsored by the Betting Line Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. The Tony Alagna-trained Captaintreacherous colt rode a five-race win streak entering the Metro Final, but brushed prematurely to the front through quick fractions and faltered through the lane as the odds-on favorite. The winner of $221,464 starts from post 4 with Andrew McCarthy in the bike for owners Marvin Katz, Kenneth Jacobs, Brad Grant and Capt Midnight Racing.

Roll With JR starts directly left of Capt Midnight after winning an $81,950 Bluegrass division going wire to wire in 1:50.4. The Roll With Joe colt, who finished second in the Kentucky Sires Stakes championship, has accrued $142,891 in earnings for Pollack Racing LLC and trainer Jeff Cullipher. Doug McNair will again drive the Roll With Joe colt.

Cattlewash tops the second Betting Line split off a 1:50.3 victory in an $80,950 division of Bluegrass. The Ron Burke-trained Somebeachsomewhere colt has four wins, which came in Pennsylvania Sires Stakes, from eight starts and $141,502 earned for owner William Donovan. Yannick Gingras sits in the bike from post 4 for trainer Ron Burke.

Metro Pace winner Tall Dark Stranger enters the third Betting Line division undefeated. In six starts, the Bettor’s Delight colt has amassed $376,890 in earnings for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms and Howard Taylor. The Nancy Johansson trainee makes his third start on the Grand Circuit and will have Yannick Gingras in the sulky from post 1.

Another undefeated pacer, Elver Hanover, leads the fourth Betting Line split. The Yankee Cruiser gelding broke the two-year-old pacing world record set by stable mate Warrawee Ubeaut last year when popping pocket to a 1:48.3 victory in an $80,950 division of Bluegrass. The Ron Burke trainee—owned by Burke Racing Stable, Bridgette Jablonsky, Jason Melillo and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby—has Chris Page in the bike as he tries to stay unbeaten from nine starts.

The top sophomore pacing fillies in the country meet in the Glen Garnsey Memorial Tattersalls Pace, sponsored by the Sweet Lou Syndicate and Diamond Creek Farms.

World-champion Warrawee Ubeaut rides a five-race win streak, including blowouts in both heats of the Jugette. The Ron Burke-trained daughter of Sweet Lou has over $1.1 million earned for Burke Racing Stable, Phillip Collura, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi and will have Yannick Gingras driving from post 3.

Fan Hanover champion Treacherous Reign starts from post 9 off a 1:49.4 far-turn swoop in a $163,100 division of Bluegrass. The Tony Alagna-trained Captaintreacherous filly finished third in her start prior to Warrawee Ubeaut in the second heat of the Jugette after winning in her first-heat elimination. Dexter Dunn steers the winner of $686,187 for owners Alagna Racing, Big Als Stables, Let It Ride Stables and Mr. Dana Parham.

Stonebridge Soul, who rose to prominence among the sophomore pacing filly ranks when winning the James Lynch Memorial and Mistletoe Shalee, will have to overcome post 10. The Chris Ryder-trained Somebeachsomewhere filly ships from a fifth-place finish in the Jugette Final after finishing second to Warrawee Ubeaut in her elimination. Tim Tetrick drives the winner of $530,301 for owners Henderson Farms and Robert Mondillo.

In the $186,000 Mister Big Allerage Farms Open Pace, sponsored by Muscara Standardbreds, Mcwicked—the richest stallion in harness racing history—will try to add to his record-setting bankroll. Earning over $4.6 million, the eight-year-old McArdle stallion has four wins from 13 starts this season and enters off a second-place finish in the $151,750 Dayton Pacing Derby. Casie Coleman trains Mcwicked for owner S S G Stables and will have Brian Sears driving.

Free-for-all trotters also race on the Saturday card in the $145,000 Cantab Hall Allerage Farms Open, sponsored by Jeff & Paula Gural.

Kentucky Futurity winner Six Pack, starting from post 7, returns to the scene of his 1:49.1 world record. The four-year-old son of Muscle Mass makes his second start in a month, with his return to the track coming with a fourth-place finish in the $230,000 Caesars Trotting Classic at Hoosier Park. With $1.5 million earned from 32 starts, Six Pack will have trainer and co-owner Ake Svanstedt in the sulky for partners Little E LLC, Knutsson Trotting, Stall Kalmar and Lawrence Berg.

Crystal Fashion, who finished fourth as the 9-5 favorite in the $450,000 Maple Leaf Trot, starts from post 3. The four-year-old Cantab Hall gelding approaches $2 million in earnings for owner Fashion Farms LLC thanks to victories this season in the Hambletonian Maturity and John Cashman Memorial along with a million-dollar sophomore campaign. David Miller guides the Jim Campbell trainee from post 3.

The 10-race program Saturday also features two late-closing events for freshman pacing colts and a sole late-closing event for trotting fillies and mares. Racing gets underway Saturday with first-race post at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).