Oak Grove: It's My Show to make 4-year-old debut Monday

Dual classic winner It's My Show makes his 2024 debut on a power-packed Monday (May 6) program at Oak Grove, lining up in the second of two $50,000 second leg Kentucky Sire Stakes events for 4-year-old male pacers.

It's My Show, who won the Pepsi North America Cup and Little Brown Jug in 2023, has drawn the outside post in a field of six to contest the afternoon's seventh of 13 races. The Linda Toscano trainee banked $1.07 million last year in 16 starts, having won nine of them, and looks to rebound from a 10th-place finish to Confederate in last year's Breeders Crown off a pair of sparkling qualifiers at the Meadowlands.

"He's come back looking and feeling great," said Scott Zeron, who drove It's My Show all of last year and will do the same on Monday. "Both qualifiers were nice trips with strong finishes."

It's My Show won both his qualifying miles, most recently defeating Save America and Bythemissal by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:49 3/5 by way of a 25 3/5 closing quarter on April 27. On the strength of his sophomore season and his morning preps, the gelded son of Sweet Lou-Put On A Show has been installed as the 4-5 morning line favorite.

The first KYSS division for male pacers, carded as race one, sets up as a showdown between first leg winners El Rey (David Miller, post one), who ground to a 1:51 1/5 score off the shelf; and Admiral Hill (Yannick Gingras, post seven) who is two-for-two in 2024 after his 1:50 2/5 first leg win.

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In the male trotting division, first-leg winners French Wine and Sparks Fly will throw down in the third split, carded as race nine. Millionaire French Wine (Andy Miller, post three) is the 6-5 morning line favorite off his 1:54 1/5 win in first round action, while Sparks Fly (Atlee Bender, post four) will look to extend his current three-race win streak. Both are joined by Nancy Takter trainee Bestfriend Volo (Dexter Dunn, post five), who is the 8-5 second choice after capping his clean sweep of the New Jersey Maturity with a 1:51 3/5 lifetime-best performance.

Mambacita leads a trio of Tony Alagna trainees in the mare trot, carded as race two. The 12-time winner proved a convincing 2 1/4 length winner in leg one, and will be driven by Dexter Dunn from post six in the nine-horse field. The mare pace, programmed as race 11, features Strong Poison's return to the races. Now trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., the daughter of Always B Miki invades Oak Grove off a pair of winning qualifiers at Miami Valley and will be driven by Yannick Gingras from post seven. She will take on the likes of Breeders Crown third-place finisher Always B Naughty (Andy McCarthy, post six) and first leg winner Zanatta (Andy Miller, post nine).

The top eight point earners in each division will convene for $100,000 finals on Monday, May 13.

The seven $50,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes events are supported by a pair of $33,000 Opens on the undercard, with purses for the 13-race program totaling $471,000.

--press release (Oak Grove)--