Red Mile: Baby Your The Best hopes to be the best in Bluegrass

Baby Your The Best was not at her best in her most recent start, but her second-place finish behind Gai Waterhouse in the Kentucky Sire Stakes final that day only added to trainer Linda Toscano’s level of appreciation for the 2-year-old filly pacer.

“I love her,” Toscano said about Baby Your The Best, who suffered from muscle cramping in the KYSS final on Sept. 15 and was beaten by three-quarters of a length after leading into the stretch. “She doesn’t do anything wrong. She tied up badly in her last start and she was really good in spite of it. Hopefully, we’ve got that behind us and she can go out and do what I know she can do.”

Baby Your The Best is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in Friday’s (Sept. 27) second of two Bluegrass Stakes divisions for 2-year-old filly pacers at Lexington’s Red Mile. Gai Waterhouse, trained by Domenico Cecere, is the 5-2 second choice, followed by Carter Pinkse’s Annabelle Hanover at 4-1.

Purchased as a yearling under the name Emissary for $225,000 at last fall’s Lexington Selected Sale, Baby Your The Best is a daughter of Captaintreacherous-Dolphins Can Talk from the family of Dan Patch Award-winner Put On A Show. Her second dam, Stienam’s Place, is in the Hall of Fame as a broodmare and her half-brother Flipper J was a stakes winner. Richard Young and Joanne Young, who own Put On A Show, own Baby Your The Best.

Baby Your The Best has won two of seven races and finished second in the remaining five. Two of her runner-up performances came to multiple-stakes-winner Lyons Sentinel, including in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final. Baby Your The Best’s two victories came in preliminary rounds of the Kentucky Sire Stakes series at Red Mile.

“She’s big, she’s beautiful, she’s great gaited, she’s got a big pedigree, and she seems to not know the end of the mile,” Toscano said. “There is nothing not to like about her.”

Toscano also has a starter, Rocknificent, in the first Bluegrass division for 2-year-old filly pacers. Rocknificent, who has won three of six races, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite. The filly is coming off a fourth-place finish, her only finish worse than third this season, in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final.

Rocknificent, by Captaintreacherous, was the first foal out of Dan Patch Award-winner Rocklamation. Purchased under the name Deo’s Proclamation for $145,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale, she is owned by Enviro Stables, South Mountain Stables, and Little E.

“She’s been a fun horse to race this year,” Toscano said. “She’s gone some really tough trips; she had to be first-over way more than I would like it. She’s a nice filly. I’m looking forward to racing her. Hopefully she will get a really nice trip and finish up good.”

Toscano’s Friday will get underway with Senorita Rita in the first of four Bluegrass Stakes divisions for 2-year-old filly trotters. Senorita Rita, who is 2-for-2 this season, is 6-1 on the morning line. Kentucky Sire Stakes runner-up Shishito is the 5-2 favorite.

Senorita Rita won her debut in a division of the New York Sire Stakes on July 4 at Tioga Downs but did not race again until winning a conditioned race Sept. 12 at Red Mile.

“She’s a really nice filly,” Toscano said. “I had to back off with her a little bit because she needed a little bit of time after I got her qualified and raced at Tioga. It’s kind of a big test to go from a qualifier and an overnight into the Grand Circuit at this point when the others are so seasoned. But I think she has enough talent, so we’ll try.”

Originally named Seven Links, Senorita Rita was purchased for $285,000 by Ken Jacobs at the Lexington Selected Sale. She is by Chapter Seven out of Lindys Head Nurse.

“She’s great looking,” Toscano said. “I thought I was training three really nice trotting fillies this year. One disappointed, but (Dip Me Hanover) won the Peaceful Way and this one could trot right with her. I thought she was the best training down, so we’ll see.”

In the second Bluegrass filly trot, undefeated Sister Sledge is the 8-5 favorite. She is 7-for-7 this season and enters Friday’s start for trainer Ron Burke off a win in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final. Peaceful Way runner-up Hello Tomorrow, from the stable of trainer Per Engblom, is the 2-1 second choice.

Engblom’s Ms Savannah Belle is the 6-5 favorite in the third division. She was winless in her first three starts but has since put together a three-race win streak including the Kentucky Sire Stakes final.

Ramona Hill, unbeaten in three career races for trainer Tony Alagna, is the even-money choice in the fourth and final division. She has won two preliminary rounds of the Kindergarten Classic Series and the consolation division of the Kentuckiana Stallion Management. Stakes-winner Panem, trained by Nancy Johansson, is the 5-2 second pick.

Racing begins at 1 p.m. (EDT) Friday at Red Mile.

-Courtesy of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, please visit www.ustrotting.com