By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON,
KY—The nation’s top three-year-olds compete on the Sunday, Sept. 29 card at The
Red Mile, which features three Bluegrass divisions for sophomore pacing colts
and two splits for both three-year-old trotting colts and fillies.
North
America Cup winner Captain Crunch fronts the opening division of the $267,400
Captaintreacherous Bluegrass Stakes, sponsored by the Captaintreacherous
Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. The millionaire Captaintreacherous colt looks
to rebound off a fourth-place finish in the $253,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes
Championship. Scott Zeron steers the Nancy Johansson trainee from post 5 for
owners 3 Brothers Stables, Christina Takter, Rojan Stables and Caviart Farms.
Messenger
Stakes champ American Mercury tops the second Bluegrass colt pace division off
a third-place effort in the $384,000 second heat of the Little Brown Jug. With
over $500,000 earned for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Northfork Racing Stable,
Chuck Pompey and Scott Bice, the American Ideal gelding trained by Chris Oakes
races from post 3 in rein to Tyler Buter.
Bettor’s
Wish, another millionaire, starts from post 6 in the third division. The Chris
Ryder-trained son of Bettor’s Delight failed to qualify for the Little Brown
Jug after finishing second in the Messenger Stakes. He rebounded two weeks
later with a three-length 1:48.1 victory in the $250,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes
Final. Regular pilot Dexter Dunn sits in the bike for owners Chris Ryder, Bell
Racing, Fair Island Farm and Bettors Wish Partners.
Hambletonian
Oaks favorite and runner-up Millies Possesion will rematch Oaks winner When
Dovescry in the first of two divisions for the $218,000 Bar Hopping Bluegrass
Stakes, sponsored by the Bar Hopping Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.
Nearing
$500,000 in earnings, Millies Possesion has one loss from 11 starts, which came
when chasing When Dovescry in a 1:50.2 mile on the first Saturday in August.
She returned to the races to cap a Pennsylvania Sires Stakes sweep with a
1:53.4 mile in the $253,000 championship. Jim Campbell conditions the daughter
of Possess The Will for owner-breeder Fashion Farms LLC. Dexter Dunn sits in
the sulky.
When
Dovescry returned to the track one month after winning the Hambletonian Oaks,
taking a $63,772 Simcoe Stakes division going wire to wire in 1:54.4. She raced
first over as the odds-on favorite in the $282,000 Elegantimage Final but
faltered to third in her most recent mile. Simon Allard will drive the Muscle
Hill filly from post 6 for trainer and brother Rene Allard, who conditions the
winner of $641,976 for owners Go Fast Stable, Yves Sarrazin, Kapildeo Singh and
Lawrence Dumain.
Evident
Beauty leads the second Bar Hopping division off back-to-back Grand Circuit
victories. Winning the Elegantimage final from off the speed, the Trixton filly
shipped south to Hoosier Park, where she won as the 1-2 favorite in the
$135,000 Moni Maker Trot. Richard “Nifty” Norman trains the winner of $735,398
for owners Melvin Hartman, Little E LLC and R A W Equine Inc. David Miller will
drive from post 3.
The
first division of the $192,200 International Moni Bluegrass Stakes—sponsored by
the International Moni Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms—features Marcus
Melander’s star Greenshoe, who would become a millionaire with a victory in the
$96,100 opening split. The Father Patrick colt has won his three starts
following a runner-up finish in the $1,000,000 Hambletonian; his most recent
victory being a 1:50.3 effort in the $250,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes final.
Greenshoe races for owners Courant Inc., Hans Backe, Lars Granqvist and Morten
Langli, and will have Brian Sears in the bike from post 3.
Melander’s
other trotting star, Green Manalishi S, starts from post 6 in the second split
of the International Moni. The Muscle Hill colt, owned by Courant Inc.,
surpassed $1,000,000 in earnings with a 1:52.4 victory in the $453,750 Canadian
Trotting Classic final. Tim Tetrick will guide Green Manalishi S from post 6 as
he competes against Pilot Discretion, the Tony Alagna-trained Muscle Hill colt
who finished second in the Canadian Trotting Classic. Andrew McCarthy drives
Pilot Discretion from post 8 for owners Robert Leblanc, David Anderson and John
Fodera.
The
10-race card Sunday at The Red Mile opens with three late-closing events, two
on the pace and one on the trot. Racing gets underway with first-race post at
1:00 p.m. (EDT).
