By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON, KY—Chris Ryder trainee
Bettor’s Wish—off five days rest—paced a meeting’s best at The Red Mile when
winning the third of three $30,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes (KYSS)
opening-preliminary divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings in
1:47.4 on Thursday, Aug. 15.
Driver Dexter Dunn darted Bettor’s
Wish to the lead while Captain Trevor floated towards the top nearing a :27
opening quarter and eventually crossed over to control the field into the
backside. Dunn soon angled the son of Bettor’s Delight from the pocket and
retook the lead prior to a :54.2 half. From there Bettor’s Wish paced to
three-quarters in 1:21.4 and finished the mile under minimal encouragement with
a :26 final quarter. Captain Trevor cut into the leader’s margin late when
finishing second while Backlight rode the pylons for the mile and finished
several lengths behind in third.
Co-owned by Ryder with Bella Racing
Ltd., Fair Island Farm Inc. and Bettors Wish Partners, Bettor’s Wish won his
seventh race from 10 starts this season and his 12th from 22
overall, surpassing $1.1 million in earnings. The Brittany Farms-bred colt paid
$2.10 to win.
Can’t Beach That pounced on
pacesetter Dancin Lou to take the opening KYSS division in 1:50.
Driver David Miller placed the Brett
Pelling-trained Somebeachsomewhere colt in the pocket moving to a :27.1 opening
quarter and stayed put at the pylons to a :55.3 half. Doc’s Hooligan pulled
first over from fifth moving to the far turn and progressed to apply pressure
to Dancin Lou passing three-quarters in 1:23.4 but retreated through the
stretch. Can’t Beach That angled outside of Dancin Lou into the final eighth
and powered past to win by three-quarter lengths. Dancin Lou held second from
Skip To My Lou, who rode the pylons for third.
Owned by breeder Melvin Segal with
partners Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Eddie Gran, Can’t Beach That—out of the
Kentucky-based broodmare Cannae Cammie—won his fourth race from nine starts
this season and his fifth from 18 overall, earning $84,104. David Miller
steered the $4.00 winner.
Trainer-driver Dan Noble swooped the
field with odds-on favorite Native’s Sweetlou to take the middle KYSS split in
1:49.2.
Egomania left for the front while
Pyro sat pocket through an early clip of :26.3 and :54.2. Noble had Native’s
Sweetlou positioned seventh approaching the final turn and tipped the Allamerican
Native gelding to race third over, gapping cover, as Western Exposure led the
two-wide tier to three-quarters. Western Exposure pressed Egomania through the
third station in 1:22 and took a narrow lead through the stretch. Noble fanned
to the center of the course with Native’s Sweetlou and brushed by tiring horses
in progress to a length victory. Pocket-sitter Pyro snuck through a seam inside
for second while Western Exposure, rough-gaited at the end, settled for third.
Leased by Chuck Grubbs, Native’s
Sweetlou won his fourth race from 11 starts this season and his sixth from 22
overall, crossing $100,000 in earnings. The Thomas Cave-bred gelding paid $3.40
to win.
Race-favorite and defending KYSS
champ Beautyonthebeach managed slow fractions on the front while battling a
far-turn blitz from Blue Ivy to take the sole split of KYSS for three-year-old
pacing fillies.
Summer Charm charged for the front
from the outside while Margret Hill tucked into the pocket and driver Doug
McNair protected position from the pylon post circling the first turn in third.
McNair then moved the Somebeachsomewhere filly off the pegs past a :28 first
quarter and cleared control entering the backside. Blue Ivy sat fifth and
pulled wide to venture uncovered through a :56 half with Alii Nui and
Salutation in tow.
Blue Ivy accelerated towards the
pacesetter and took a slim lead as the pace quickened towards three-quarters,
timed in 1:23.3. Beautyonthebeach drifted from the pylons exiting the turn but
quickly angled towards the cones straightening into the stretch. Blue Ivy
backed through a wall of horses while Summer Charm attempted to pull pocket but
threw several bad steps. Beautyonthebeach faced little challenge in the final
strides to win in a lifetime-best 1:50.4 with Ali Nuii rallying from off cover
to take second while Salutation paced widest of all to finish third.
A homebred filly out of Precocious
Beauty for James Avritt Sr., Beautyonthebeach won her second race from nine
starts this season and her seventh from 22 overall, earning $319,873. Gregg
McNair conditions the $2.80 winner.
Kentucky Sires Stakes action resumes
Sunday, Aug. 18 at The Red Mile with trotting freshmen contesting in the second
preliminary of their events—three divisions for the colts and three for the
fillies. The 15-race program starts at 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
