By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON,
KY—The richest racing stallion in harness history, Mcwicked added to his
record-setting bankroll with a 1:47.2 victory in the $186,000 Mister Big
Allerage Farms Pace—sponsored by Muscara Standardbreds—on Saturday, Oct. 5 at
The Red Mile.
Mcwicked
left the gate to secure the pocket as Dorsoduro Hanover took the front to a
:26.4 first quarter. He sped through fractions of :53.2 and 1:21.1 before
losing the lead into the stretch as driver Brian Sears shot Mcwicked from the
pocket. The eight-year-old son of McArdle sprinted through the stretch and
extended to an open-length victory over Filibuster Hanover, who launched off
cover to take second. Dorsoduro Hanover held third from 9-5 favorite American
History.
“Everybody
knows through the years I’ve battled foot issues with this horse,” winning
trainer Casie Coleman said after the race. “It’s been a non-stop battle. His
first start back this year he went in [1]:49 and I was like ‘Wow, we’re going
to have a huge season’ [but] then that foot blew right after his first start. I
missed about a month and had to go into the Mohawk [Gold] Cup and it just
messed up his early schedule but he’s back on track now.
“This
horse does have his issue and this big track and the surface on this track—he
absolutely loves it here,” Coleman also said. “He’s actually racing with a shoe
you’d never race a horse with—a really severe bar shoe to heal up this foot
he’s got. I don’t hide it; I put it on social media [and] everyone’s seen the
foot he’s working with right now. He’s an incredible animal.”
Amassing
$4,753,342 from 107 starts which includes 39 victories, Mcwicked races for
owner S S G Stables. Brian Sears drove the Andray Farm-bred stallion who paid
$6.20 to win.
Grand
Circuit action concludes at The Red Mile on Sunday, Oct. 6 with the 127th
renewal of the Kentucky Futurity, which goes as a single heat with a field of
12 for $450,000. The 54th Kentucky Filly Futurity also goes as a
single dash with an 11-horse draw for $267,000. Two divisions of the $540,000
Tattersalls Pace, the $69,500 Allerage Farms Fillies and Mares Trot and $87,000
Allerage Farms Fillies and Mares Pace will also go on the eight-race card.
Racing gets underway for the season finale with first-race post at 1:00 p.m.
(EDT).
