Grand
Circuit racing continues on Friday at The Red Mile with three divisions each of
the Bluegrass Stakes for two year old colt trotters and filly pacers.
Those freshmen will compete for total purses well in excess of
a half million dollars and the "top of the crop" for each group
are among the entrants.
The
colt trotters will compete in the Walnut Hall Limited Cup, carded as races
five, seven and ten, each a seven colt field for a purse of $90,100.
Father
Patrick has been nothing short of sensational this season. The Cantab Hall colt
has won the Peter Haughton Memorial at The Meadowlands by ten lengths and more
recently the William Wellwood Memorial at Mohawk, where he established a new
Canadian record for baby trotters of 1:53.4 in a five length romp. A winner of
$436,507 this year, the only loss in Father Patrick's eight start
career was a photo out in an overnight at The Meadowlands.
Jimmy
Takter trains the colt for the Father Patrick Stable and Yannick Gingras will
steer him as he has in every start this season.
On the distaff side, the fillies will race for just shy of $260,000 split three
ways, race eight, nine and eleven. The "Belle of the Ball" thus far
has been Jim Avritt's homebred Art Major filly Precocious Beauty. From his mare
Precious Beauty, who produced North America Cup champ Sportswriter, Jim kept
the filly he has described as "a perfect specimen" and she has lived
up to his vision and then some. A winner of four straight in Ontario including
the She's A Great Lady final and Eternal Camnation stakes, Precocious Beauty
has amassed just shy of $360,000 on the strength of five wins and a pair of
seconds from seven starts. Her 1:50.2 speed badge puts her just a fifth off the
current world record for the division.
Top
Canadian conditioner Gregg Mc Nair developed the filly and sends her out on
Friday with her regular pilot, one of racing's brightest young stars, his son
Doug.
Friday
post time will be 7pm. The Red Mile is available at a simulcast venue near
you or you may view the races by opening an account with their account wagering platform.
