Oak Grove: Seven Kentucky Sire Stakes splits held on Monday

Jamie Sullivan trainee Miki's Big Bang ground forward from off the speed to tackle strung-out leader Midnight Drive and clinch the win in the $60,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) "A" division for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Monday afternoon (July 6) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.

Tricky Hill (driven by Andy McCarthy) fired from post four to the top with Ballarddrgoldfngr (Archie Buford) pushing forward along with pylon-starter Declamation (Yannick Gingras) to a 26 3/5 first quarter. Midnight Drive (Dexter Dunn) floated from post eight to the middle of the pack with no vacancies at the pylons, forcing Dunn to send his charge after the lead. Dunn cleared command just passing a 55 1/5 half, at which point Miki's Big Bang (Tim Tetrick) tipped off the pylons from fifth and steadily advanced up the rim towards his stablemate. The two locked into battle off three-quarters in 1:23 4/5 and stayed neck and neck until the final yards, where Miki's Big Bang lunged forward and grabbed victory by a half-length in 1:52 3/5. Midnight Drive settled for second with I'm Toohot For You (Marcus Miller) rallying from second-over for third and Blazin Lou (Atlee Bender) closing from third-over for fourth.

An Always B Miki-Shebang N colt, Miki's Big Bang competes for owner James Fleming. He now has one win and one second in two outings, earning $40,000, and returned $16.72 to win.

Banana Beach (Ronnie Gillespie) maintained supremacy over her cohort with a comfortable 1:52 4/5 stroll on the lead in the $60,000 KYSS "A" division for 2-year-old pacing fillies. Gillespie worked his Pebble Beach-Sweet Anna Banana filly to the top out of post seven through a 27 1/5 first quarter to pocket pylon-starter Lindy Believer (Yannick Gingras), who then followed Gillespie's helmet keenly to a 56 2/5 half and 1:25 three-quarters. Banana Beach spun off the bottom corner and quickened with just a light tap of the whip to put away Lindy Believer by a length while Baby Puppy (Marcus Miller) gave chase for third and Jk Alwaysbpositive (Tim Tetrick) took fourth.

Gillespie also trains Banana Beach, a two-time winner with $50,000 banked, for owners Heather Sparks and Dr. Madonna Morrison. She paid $2.94 to win.

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A total of five $40,000 KYSS "B" divisions were contested on the 15-race card. In the filly dashes, Sweet As Silk (Todd McCarthy, 1:54 3/5 winning mile; $4.36 to win) and Dame Frances (Atlee Bender, 1:52 2/5; $2.90) notched front-stepping wins while Bluebird Beach (Todd McCarthy, 1:54 2/5; $3.18), Fenway Station (Atlee Bender, 1:54 4/5; $23.10) and Lone Cypress (Todd McCarthy, 1:53; $4.42) won in the colt and gelding splits.

The 15-race card on Monday also featured a pair of $37,000 Open pacing events. Muskateer Hanover (Tim Tetrick, 1:49 3/5; $7.68) went pillar to post to better 1-5 favorite Captain Arturovico (Dexter Dunn) in the Open Pace, while Bonitas Best Bet (Dexter Dunn, 1:51 1/5; $5.62) persevered first-over to overhaul pace-setter Aintnothingucando (Yannick Gingras) to win the Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace over second-up Lyin' Eyes. Wayne Oke trains Muskateer Hanover, a 6-year-old Sweet Lou-Marinade Hanover gelding, for owner Calcutta Stable LLC., while Ron Burke conditions Bonitas Best Bet, a 5-year-old All Bets Off-Bonita Beach mare, for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., Frank Baldachino, Weaver Bruscemi LLC., J & T Silva and Purnel & Libby.

Live racing at Oak Grove resumes with a 17-race card loaded with KYSS action for "Tuesday at the Trots" (July 7). Tuesday's card also features a $989.23 carryover in the $1 Pick 5, which begins in Race 9 and has a 15 percent takeout. First-race post time is 10:55 a.m. (CDT).

--press release (Oak Grove)--