Red Mile: Captain Naughty, Bahama Momma deliver in Kentucky Championship Series

Captain Naughty strolled and Bahama Momma pounced to win their respective $80,000 second-preliminary divisions of the Kentucky Championship Series on Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 19) at The Red Mile.

Yannick Gingras sent Captain Naughty to the top in the Kentucky Championship Series division for sophomore trotting males and strode unfazed around the track for a 1:51 win. With 6-5 favorite It Could Be Worse (driven by Tim Tetrick) breaking stride at the start, Captain Naughty comfortably crossed to the lead approaching a 28 second first quarter. The remaining four on-stride followed the leader up the backstretch and made no challenges through a 56 2/5 half and 1:24 1/5 three-quarters. Captain Naughty rounded for home and accelerated with ease for a two-length win at the beam, chased by Silverstein (David Miller), who clinched second from pocket-sitter Fineline Hanover (Todd McCarthy). Zephyr Kemp (Dexter Dunn) broke stride in the stretch but finished fourth.

Petter Engblom trains Captain Naughty, a homebred Captain Corey-Msnaughtyashill colt, for owner Denise Dennis. The colt - exiting a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Hambletonian - won his first race of the year from eight starts and collected his fifth victory in his career from 17 starts, banking $163,354. He paid $13.14 to win.

Bahama Momma (Joe Bongiorno) later lifted from a close stalking trip to deliver as the 7-5 chalk in a 1:49 1/5 mile in the Kentucky Championship Series division for sophomore pacing fillies. Bongiorno hustled Bahama Momma for the lead but soon yielded command to She's A Bulldog (Yannick Gingras) passing a 27 second first quarter. Hope Hill (Dexter Dunn) then brushed forward to take control passing a 54 4/5 half and soon faced a first-over challenge from Seaside Shuffle (Tim Tetrick) into the far turn. All the while Bahama Momma raced third at the inside and waited for clearance through three-quarters in 1:22 4/5. She's A Bulldog angled from the pocket into the stretch while Hope Hill drifted from the pylons, giving Bahama Momma a golden seam to dart through and collar the embattled duo late. Bahama Momma grabbed the lead late and won by a half-length over She's A Bulldog, while Hope Hill settled for third between horses and Seaside Shuffle tired to fourth.

Joe Bongiorno trains Bahama Momma, a Tall Dark Stranger-Idyllic Beach filly, for owners Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Odds On Racing. The filly won her second race from seven starts this season and her fifth race from 17 starts in her career, accruing $238,370 in earnings. She paid $4.92 to win.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Both the sophomore trotting males and sophomore pacing fillies sparred in a pair of $30,000 divisions of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series on the 15-race card. Sunny Station (Todd McCarthy, 1:49 1/5 winning mile; $15.90 to win) stalked the speed and shot through a gap at the pylons to take the faster of the two dashes for pacing fillies over 3-2 favorite Interstellar (Marvin Luna) and pace-setter Atte Station (David Miller). Untouchable As (Tony Hall, 1:51 3/5; $6.08) ripped from off the speed to land back-to-back wins in the Commonwealth Series, winning in the faster of the two divisions for trotting males. Pacing filly Gracious (Todd McCarthy, 1:51; $6.02) and trotting colt Midwind Chimp (Scott Zeron, 1:53 1/5; $41.78) also won in Kentucky Commonwealth Series action.

A pair of horses collected their fifth straight win when competing in the $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series during the Wednesday card. Graceland Hill (Dexter Dunn, 1:50; $4.56) opened the day by brushing to the lead and holding off first-up Nash (Todd McCarthy) by a half-length in the first $15,000 division of the Kentucky Golden Rod Series for 3-year-old pacing fillies. Virgil Morgan Jr. trains the daughter of Always B Miki-Darlinonthebeach, who has won six times from eight starts in her career, for owner Tom Hill. Deuce Pop (Todd McCarthy, 1:53 4/5; $4.18) later registered his fifth consecutive win when rallying from a stalking trip for a neck victory over rallying Lethal Legacy (Andy McCarthy). Randy Jerrell trains Deuce Pop, a Tactical Landing-Atlantic Crest colt with 11 wins on his card from 24 starts, and co-owns the colt with Atlantic Trot Inc. and Steve Stewart.

Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes on Sunday (Aug. 23) with a 14-race card headlined by the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series third preliminary for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings. First-race post time is 5:05 p.m. (EDT).

--press release (Red Mile)--