Red Mile: Confederate tops winners in Kentucky Championship Series finals for pacers

Favorites went four-for-four in the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series finals for rookie and sophomore pacers on Sunday afternoon at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky.

Confederate (Tim Tetrick), harness racing's top-ranked horse, won the final for 3-year-old colts and geldings in pretty easy fashion from first-over in 1:49. For Once Inmy Life (Andy McCarthy) set the pace of 26 3/5, 55 3/5 and 1:23, but Confederate had moved first-over from fourth to second on the final bend. Confederate sustained his bid into the lane and took over the top spot, then held sway to the wire while in-hand, defeating stablemate Command (Todd McCarthy) by a pair of lengths. For Once Inmy Life held third.

"Both are homebred colts and it's exciting to be 1-2 here," remarked Diamond Creek's Adam Bowden about Confederate and Command. "This is what we do, and to get a horse like Confederate, we're pretty excited. Everybody that's been associated with the horse has done a heck of a job with him. We're not sure yet if he's going to go both weeks here at the Grand Circuit, but he'll race at least once more here, and then Breeders Crown, and then we'll see from there."

Bowden also confirmed post-race that Confederate will be off to the stallion ranks at the conclusion of his campaign.

Trained by Brett Pelling, the victorious Sweet Lou colt has 13 wins, two seconds and a third from 16 career starts, has earned $1,521,629 and paid $2.10 to win.

Twin B Joe Fresh (Dexter Dunn) went a dazzling mile in the 3-year-old filly final, winning powerfully from first-over in 1:48 4/5. Away third from post seven, she watched as Strong Poison (Yannick Gingras) reached the quarter in 28 seconds and the half in 55 3/5, then went after that one on the way to the 1:23 3/5 three-quarters. Twin B Joe Fresh overwhelmed and went by Strong Poison coming off the final bend and then ran up the score through the stretch drive, tallying by 3 1/2 lengths over Strong Poison, with pocket-sitting Charleston (Tetrick) back in third.

"Right now she's doing terrific, and it was an exciting race today," remarked victorious trainer/co-owner Chris Ryder. "I'm a little taken aback. She just raced as good as a horse can go.

"She might miss a week somewhere (at the Lexington Grand Circuit meet). The Breeders Crown obviously is the target, we've got to concentrate on that. This was a target, as well, so all systems go."

Twin B Joe Fresh, a daughter of Roll With Joe bred by Brittany Farms, is also co-owned by Dunn and partners Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak. This was her 16th win from 21 lifetime starts, she has now earned $1,204,178 and she paid $2.80 to win as the favorite.

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Geocentric (Tetrick) completed a Pennsylvania/Kentucky Sire Stakes double by winning the final for 2-year-old fillies in 1:50 2/5 to run her lifetime record to seven-for-seven. Away fourth to the 27 1/5 quarter, she moved to the outside in the backstretch and seized the top spot from Gifted One (T. McCarthy) at the 55 4/5 half. After she hit the front, Geocentric put three-quarters on the board in 1:24 1/5 and then sprinted home in 26 1/5 to widen on her foes and prevail by five lengths. Gifted One held off Seeuontheotherside (Tony Hall) for second.

"This horse has been the perfect model for (dual-eligiblity)," said winning trainer Brian Brown. "She got to race twice in Pennsylvania and three times here and got to go in both finals. The dates just worked out perfect.

"She'll go home today and get turned out for a week tomorrow. I don't want too many races before I go to the Breeders Crown, so I'm going to skip the first week of Lexington (of the Grand Circuit meet) and race the second week."

Brown trains the Diamond Creek Farm-bred for owners Milt Leeman, Alan Keith, Jim Stambaugh and Joe Sbrocco. Purchased for $55,000 at last year's Standardbred Horse Sale, she has earned $494,501 to go with her perfect summary and paid $2.10 to win.

Two-year-old colt Better Is Nice (A. McCarthy) is also a two-state Sire Stakes champion now, as he added the Kentucky title to the one he took earlier in 2023 in New Jersey. He showed speed from post six and was able to clear Ivy Park (Gingras) for the lead beyond the 27 1/5 opening quarter. A 55 3/5 half and a 1:24 1/5 followed that, and Better Is Nice used a 26 2/5 final kicker to slam the door, defeating Ivy Park by 2 1/4 lengths. Tua Many Captains (Andy Miller) collected third.

"We've always been big supporters of the dual-eligiblity. We've always kept our mares here at Hunterton or Kentuckiana," said winning trainer/co-owner Tony Alagna. "This is a colt that we ran through the sale. Marvin Katz and I are the breeders, and we believed in Bettor's Wish, bred our mare, and this is what we got. We put him in the sale, and he only brought $30,000. I said, 'you know, with the dual-eligibility and him being New Jersey and Kentucky, I'm not willing to let him go for that,' so we bought him back.

"I've known him since the beginning. I owned his grandmother, too, so I'm starting to tell my age."

Out of the Vintage Master mare Thatsoveryverynice, Better Is Nice, who also has Pryde Stables Inc. and Birnam Wood Farms as owners, has a record of 5-1-1 from seven starts and he has now earned $438,600. He was the favorite and returned $3.20 to win.

After sitting in sixth and fifth, Admiral Hill (Dunn) rallied off a hot tempo of 27, 53 2/5 and 1:20 2/5 set by Tip Top Cat (Gingras) and El Rey (Zeron) to take the $100,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series final for 3-year-old colts and geldings by a length and a half in 1:48 3/5. Tip Top Cat was the runner-up and Combustion (T. McCarthy) got up for third.

Tom Hill bred and owns Admiral Hill, a Chris Ryder-trained Sweet Lou gelding. He is now an eight-time winner, has socked away $263,658 and returned $8.88 to win.