Oak Grove: A trio of track records toppled in Kentucky Sire Stakes

Command, Brodeur and Caviart Donovan were the stars of Tuesday's (June 27) Kentucky Sire Stakes competition for 3-year-olds at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel by virtue of track record performances in their respective $25,000 second round events.

In the second division for pacing colts and geldings, carded as race eight, Command sat off a hotly-contested 54 3/5 first half before making a three-wide push to the lead up the backstretch and evading A Cool Moment (driven by Joey Putnam) by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:50, the fastest mile ever at Oak Grove by a 3-year-old pacing gelding. Tim Tetrick drove the son of Captaintreacherous, who paid $3.22 to win, for Brett Pelling and Diamond Creek Racing.

Three races earlier, Caviart Donovan and driver Tyler Shehan waited patiently in midfield before angling off the pegs with three-sixteenths to go and splitting foes in upper stretch en route to a 1:50 3/5 win - and a new track record for 3-year-old pacing colts - over Tip Top Cat (Yannick Gingras) and Admiral Hill (Tim Tetrick), who dueled up the backstretch. Trainer Marna Shehan co-owns the victorious Always B Miki colt, who paid $20.56, with Amanda Stephens, David Arboe and Mitchell Bean.

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The second split for male trotters (race seven) saw Brodeur and driver Tyler Smith brushed to the fore with a lap to go before out-sprinting a late charge from 6-5 favorite Espresso (Andy Miller) by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:53, a new track record for sophomore trotting colts, and paying $14.54 to win. Trainer Anette Lorentzon co-owns the son of Tactical Landing with ACL Stuteri AB and Kjell Johansson.

Lorentzon and Smith also teamed up to win the 3-year-old filly pace with Keep My Secret ($57.70), who rallied to nose 1-9 favorite Charleston (Tim Tetrick) in 1:51 2/5. Trotting gelding Talent Scout (1:55 4/5, Tim Tetrick, $2.84) and trotting filly Mambacita (1:53 3/5, $2.52, Yannick Gingras), both sent to the post odds-on, completed the day's slate of stakes winners.

All eight $100,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes series finals will take place next Tuesday (July 4).

Live racing at Oak Grove resumes Sunday (July 2); first post is 3 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. EDT).

--press release (Oak Grove)--