Red Mile: Denarius looks to step out in Bluegrass

After bringing her along step by step, trainer Domenico Cecere will watch Denarius on Friday in a division of the Grade 3 Bluegrass Stakes for 2-year-old female trotters at Lexington’s Red Mile in the hopes of seeing her continue to step up.

Denarius heads to her Bluegrass engagement off a two-length win in a division of the Grade 3 Champlain Stakes on Sept. 12 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. She won in 1:55 2/5, equaling her winning time in a division of the Kindergarten Classic Series in her career debut on Aug. 1 at The Meadowlands. Between the two victories, she finished second, beaten a neck, in a Kindergarten split on Aug. 23 at The Big M.

“She has just three races, but it looks like she is a very smart filly,” said Cecere, who trains the homebred daughter of International Moni-Treviso for owner Moni Maker Stable. “I’ve always believed in her. I liked her when we were training down. She has a nice pedigree, and she always showed me she had some class. We respected that. We let her grow and went step by step and I’m happy with where we are right now.”

Denarius is a half-sister to Kilmister, who as a 2-year-old in 2022 won the Peter Haughton Memorial and was third in both the Breeders Crown and Valley Victory. He also was a Grand Circuit winner at age 3 and finished second in the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial and a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial.

Cecere trained International Moni, making the experience with Denarius all the more meaningful.

“I trained the father, and it’s cool to bring along a 2-year-old that is a homebred,” Cecere said. “It is more exciting. It’s nice to see them grow up and be a good horse. We try every year to do that. That is our dream.”

Denarius will compete Friday in the fourth of four $94,500 divisions of the Bluegrass Stakes. She will leave from post two with Dexter Dunn in the sulky and is 6-1 on the morning line in a field of eight fillies.

Naked And Famous, who will start from post eight with Todd McCarthy driving for trainer Noel Daley, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. The daughter of Six Pack-Sleep Tight My Luv was third, beaten a length, in the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series final on Sept. 14 at The Red Mile, where she was timed in 1:52 4/5.

Lainey W, who has a mark of 1:53 4/5 and missed by a nose in the Grade 1 Jim Doherty Memorial on Sept. 12 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, is the 7-2 second choice. The daughter of Bar Hopping-The Black Beauty will leave from post five with Scott Zeron driving for trainer Marcus Melander.

In addition, the field includes Lipstick, a daughter of Tactical Landing-Non Stick who upset in 1:54 at odds of 44-1 in the New Jersey Classic final for freshman filly trotters on Sept. 5 at The Meadowlands. She will start from post three with David Miller in the sulky for trainer Anette Lorentzon.

“Now, we’ll start to step up more,” Cecere said about Denarius. “The fillies that she’s going to be racing have been going in (1):52, (1):53, so it will be interesting to see how she does. She raced good in Canada; I was really happy with her.

“She has already showed us that she is a nice filly. She’s been winning in (1):55, in a good way, coming home good. We’ll see Friday how she goes, but she’s feeling good, she’s training well.”

In the first Bluegrass division for the filly trotters, Leading Lady (Walner-Muscle Dolly) is the 9-5 morning-line favorite from post five for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Nancy Takter. She has notched victories in New Jersey and Kentucky stakes action this season.

Kentucky Championship winner Country Glide (Tactical Landing-Sheer Glide) is the 6-5 morning-line choice in the second division, leaving from post seven for driver David Miller and trainer Melvin Schmucker.

Maya Patel Hanover (Captain Corey-My First Lady) is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the third division. She is seeking her first win of the season but finished second in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship for trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt.

Friday’s card, which begins at 1 p.m., also includes four Bluegrass divisions for 2-year-old male pacers.