By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON, KY--A pocket trip poised
Catch The Fire for a 1:50.4 blowout mile in the fastest of two $30,000 Kentucky
Sires Stakes (KYSS) divisions for two-year-old pacing colts on Thursday, Aug.
22 over a track rated “good” at The Red Mile.
Driver Mike Wilder placed the John
Ackley trainee on the helmet of early leader Fortify heading to a :28.1 first
quarter. Wilder then circled the Captaintreacherous colt to the front but
yielded as Lottery Winner marched towards the top past a :55.3 half.
Starship tipped first over from
fourth approaching three-quarters in 1:24, forcing Catch The Fire to vacate the
pocket at headstretch. Catch The Fire then shot past Lottery Winner and opened
four-and-a-half lengths on Starship giving pursuit from second while Fortify
held third.
Winning his third race from six
starts, Catch The Fire has earned $67,022 for owner CT Stables LLC. He paid
$11.00 to win.
Moneyman Hill stalked from the
pocket and inherited the front from a rough pacesetter to win the first
division of KYSS in 1:51.2.
Driver Scott Zeron sent Moneyman
Hill towards the front but yielded for the pocket as Its Showtime brushed to
control heading to a :28 opening quarter and accelerated towards a :55.1 half.
However the pacesetter veered wide rounding the final turn, giving Moneyman
Hill the lead approaching three-quarters in 1:23.1. The Somebeachsomewhere colt
maintained command through the stretch while chased by Sea Of Life, pulling
from the pocket for second. Roll With Jr, angling first over from fourth at the
top of the stretch, took third.
A son of Somebeachsomewhere,
Moneyman Hill won his first race from five starts, earning $34,730. Brian Brown
conditions the Tom Hill homebred who paid $9.00 to win.
Sent the 2-5 favorite, Baby Your The
Best swept to the front moving towards the final turn and cruised clear to a
1:52.2 victory in the first of two KYSS splits for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Ellagator took control heading to
the first turn while Blood Red ground first over towards the top nearing a
:28.4 opening quarter. Blood Red cleared to the cones and led briefly before
driver David Miller angled Baby Your The Best from third to the top heading to
a :56.4 half.
The Captaintreacherous filly continued
to control the pace while pressured slightly by Sail By, stalled wide of the
leader at the third station in 1:25.3. Sail By gave way through the stretch as
Baby Your The Best kicked clear of her competition, with Blood Red finishing
second and Ellagator third.
Owned by Richard and Joanne Young,
Baby Your The Best won her first race from four starts, earning $68,720. The
Linda Toscano trainee returned $2.80 to win.
Firefly pulled to the front past the
quarter and went a slow clip when holding off a backfield blitz in a 1:54 mile
to take the other KYSS filly division.
Pristine Beauty pushed for the front
while Firefly floated for position from the pylon post rounding the first turn.
Driver Andrew McCarthy then angled Firefly for the lead heading to a :29.2
opening quarter and led the field to a :57.2 half.
Wayside, racing third, edged first
over moving into the final turn. Even-money favorite Gai Waterhouse tracked
cover from second over while Shining Beauty raced third over in a flow nearing
the pacesetter heading to three-quarters in 1:26.1. Wayside retreated through
the stretch while Gai Waterhouse and Shining Beauty fanned off cover and chased
the drifting leader from the center of the track. However Firefly held on in
the final-quarter sprint to win with Gai Waterhouse second and Shining Beauty
third.
Returning $29.20 to win, Firefly won
her second race from eight starts this season, earning $29,000. Richard “Nifty”
Norman conditions the Somebeachsomewhere filly for owners Charles and Julie Nash.
Kentucky Sires Stakes action resumes
at The Red Mile on Saturday, Aug. 24 with two $30,000 divisions each for
three-year-old trotting colts and fillies. The card will start at 7:00 p.m.
(EDT).
