By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON, KY— Hambletonian
runner-up Greenshoe vaulted off cover at the top of the stretch and soared to a
six-length victory in a 1:50.4 mile when winning the first of two $30,000 divisions
of Kentucky Sires Stakes (KYSS) for three-year-old trotting colts on Thursday,
Sept. 5 at The Red Mile.
Driver Brian Sears placed the Father
Patrick colt in the pocket while Guaranteed battled Thunder through a :27.4
opening quarter. The pacesetting duo continued to match strides through a :55.1
half and past three-quarters in 1:24.3, but began to falter turning into the
stretch as Sears mounted his charge three wide. Greenshoe glided to the front
and widened his lead through the stretch while under pursuit from Pilot
Discretion in second. Chin Chin Hall finished third.
Winning his seventh race from nine
starts this season and his ninth from 13 overall, Greenshoe has accrued
$843,223 in earnings for owners Courant Inc., Hans Backe, Lars Granqvist and
Morten Langli. Marcus Melander conditions the Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz-bred
colt who returned $2.20 to win.
Super Schissel held off a
pocket-popping charge from odds-on favorite Don’t Let’em to take the second
KYSS colt split.
Also driven by Brian Sears, Super
Schissel followed cover rounding the first turn as Don’t Let’em floated towards
the lead after a :29.2 opening quarter. He accelerated up the backstretch as
Super Schissel drew alongside before yielding command to the Per Engblom
trainee past a :56.4 half. Super Schissel then cruised to three-quarters in
1:25 in progress to a 1:52.3 victory. Don’t Let’em finished a neck behind in
second while Manatlas finished six lengths farther back in third.
An Uncle Peter colt bred by Coyote
Wynd Farms, Super Schissel won his second race from 10 starts this season and
his sixth from 23 overall, earning $324,067. Al Libfeld and Perry Soderberg own
the $4.60 winner.
French Cafe cruised off a pocket
trip to a three-and-a-quarter length victory in the first of two KYSS divisions
of sophomore trotting fillies.
Caterina Hall cleared command from
French Cafe heading to a :28 opening quarter while Queen Of Trixs raced from third.
She continued on the front through a :55 half but faced a challenge around the
final turn as driver Andy Miller moved French Cafe off the cones. Miller pushed
French Cafe to the lead passing three-quarters in 1:24.3 and extended her lead
through the stretch, trotting to a 1:52.3 victory while Queen Of Trixs gave
chase in second. Celebrate It All closed from last for third.
A homebred for Marvin Katz and Al
Libfeld, French Cafe won her third race from seven starts this season and her
sixth from 16 overall, earning $132,900. Julie Miller trains the daughter of
Father Patrick who paid $3.80 to win.
Strip It Down As surged back to the
lead when headed in the stretch to win the first KYSS filly division.
Driver Elliott Deaton dashed the
odds-on favorite to the front heading to a :29.1 opening quarter. She faced no
challenge through a :57.4 half but lost the lead when Dark As A Pocket lunged
outside from fourth and stuck a head in front nearing three-quarters in 1:26.4.
Dark As A Pocket clung to the lead through the stretch but gave way as Strip It
Down As powered through the inside to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths in
1:54.1. Refined kicked off cover for second while Dark As A Pocket settled for
third.
Owned by breeders Acl Stuteri Ab and
Kjell Johansson, Strip It Down As won her third race from five starts this
season and her fifth from 12 overall, earning $75,929. Anette Lorentzon
conditions the Archangel filly who paid $3.40 to win.
KYSS action resumes at The Red Mile
on Saturday, Sept. 7 with two $30,000 divisions for three-year-old pacing colts
and a single $30,000 split for three-year-old pacing fillies. The card starts
with first-race post at 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
