Red Mile: Fast miles clocked in Kentucky Championship Series

After an early end to the program on Wednesday (August 5) forced several events to be moved, The Red Mile ended up having a total of 18 Kentucky Sire Stakes events on Sunday, with 14 on the pari-mutuel program and four prior to that as non-wagering races.

Three-Year-Old Filly Trotters

Victorianas Secret (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) capitalized from a stalking trip against hard-strung favorite Jailbird Jog (Anthony MacDonald) to win the first of two $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminaries. Wrenn Jr. swept up the rim through a 27 3/5 first quarter to take a brief lead until Jailbird Jog looped around to the top into a 54 1/5 half. Jailbird Jog remained on the muscle to three-quarters in 1:21 4/5 but trotted evenly for home. Victorianas Secret lifted from the covered trip to spurt by the weary favorite and reached the line in time for a three-quarter length win in a 1:50 mile - one-fifth of a second off the track and world record - over closing Ygritte (Dexter Dunn). She's Moni (Tim Tetrick) also pushed from mid-pack for third and Jailbird Jog tired to fourth.

Vernon Beachy trains Victorianas Secret, a Tactical Landing-Victoriana filly, for owner Ryan Smith. The filly won her sixth race from eight starts this season and her seventh race from 16 starts in her career, banking $285,531. She paid $8.28 to win.

Heart For Two (Yannick Gingras) also converted a pocket trip into a victory when posting a 1:51 1/5 win in the other $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series dash. Gingras stalked tempo-setter Godusa (David Miller) through a clip of 28, 56 and 1:23 3/5 before gathering steam for the long stretch. Heart For Two built momentum and surged forward to collar Godusa late for a length win with odds-on favorite Days Away (Dexter Dunn) pushing late from second-over for third. Kngtstlkrs Games (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) finished fourth.

Andrew Harris trains Heart For Two, a daughter of Gimpanzee-House Music FR, for owner Punisher 11 Stable LLC. The filly won her third race from seven starts this season and her fifth race from 18 starts in her career, accruing $235,064 in earnings. She paid $36.90 to win.

Serenity As (Dexter Dunn, 1:53 winning mile) soared from last with a 26 1/5 final quarter in the lone non-betting division to take top honors among the two $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series dashes for 3-year-old trotting fillies. Her Anette Lorentzon stablemate Joyofmylife As (Tony Hall, 1:53 3/5 winning mile, paid $3.98 to win) tallied on the pari-mutuel card.

$15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod splits were won by Numanthia (Marvin Luna, 1:53 2/5 winning mile, paid $5.62 to win), Joanna Joanna (Andy McCarthy, 1:54 1/5 winning mile, paid $12.52 to win), Cynic (Ronnie Wrenn Jr., 1:53 2/5 winning mile, paid $8.06 to win) and Clemency (Todd McCarthy, 1:53 1/5 winning mile, paid $16.48 to win).

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Three-Year-Old Male Pacers

Funky Buddha motored for the lead and held the upper edge of a cutthroat stretch battle against 6-5 favorite Sea Bistro Hanover to win the lone $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary.

Leaving from post five, Funky Buddha (driven by Tim Tetrick) brushed for the lead through a 26 4/5 first quarter to clear Sea Bistro Hanover (Todd McCarthy), and he maintained his speed to a 53 3/5 half and 1:20 3/5 three-quarters. Sea Bistro Hanover tipped from the pocket rounding for home to inch forward and lock eyes with Funky Buddha in a battle that persisted all through the long stretch. Funky Buddha remained resolute to hold his ground by a scant nostril at the end of a 1:47 2/5 mile with Sneaky Squeaky (Joe Bongiorno) gaining on the top pair from a stalking trip for third and Bookie J (Dexter Dunn) rallying from second over for fourth.

Tony Dinges trains Funky Buddha, a Sweet Lou-The Double Deuce colt, for owner Rick Berks. The colt collected his third win from seven starts this season and his sixth win from 17 starts in his career, earning $250,240. He paid $18.86 to win.

Thiago Hanover (Yannick Gingras, 1:48 1/5; $32.76 to win) took the lead past the quarter and held firmly for the fastest win of the three $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series splits for pacing glamour boys. Also winning in Commonwealth Series action were Dexter Dunn-driven and Chris Ryder-trained Captain Apple (1:49 2/5 winning mile, paid $2.68 to win) and Show Me Your Ace (1:49 4/5 winning mile, paid $2.56 to win).

Three $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series flights went to Watchfire (Yannick Gingras, 1:50 3/5 winning mile, paid $6.90 to win), Benny B Hill (Dexter Dunn, 1:52 3/5 winning mile, paid $2.10 to win) and Door Dash (Yannick Gingras, 1:48 3/5 winning mile, paid $2.78 to win).

Two-Year-Old Filly Trotters / Non-Wagering Races

Kissme Ifyoucan pounced from a pocket ride and held back game tempo-setter Heart Of Secret to take the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary for 2-year-old trotting fillies in a 1:51 4/5 mile.

Heart Of Secret (driven by Yannick Gingras) swiftly left the gate for the lead while Kissme Ifyoucan (Austin Hanners) glided out of post two to procure the pocket approaching a 27 3/5 first quarter. Hanners stayed steady behind Heart Of Secret as she cut a 55 second half and a 1:23 3/5 three-quarters under minimal pressure, but then fired his charge after the leader rounding for home. Kissme Ifyoucan ground by Heart Of Secret in the stretch and kept her at bay through the stretch sprint to win by a half-length with Sweetest Of All (Atlee Bender) closing for third and Fascination (Todd McCarthy) giving chase in fourth.

Todd Luther trains Kissme Ifyoucan, an In Range-I Gotta Feelin filly purchased from the 2025 Lexington Selected Sale for $160,000 by owner Greg Luther Racing LLC. The filly, with a single blemish on her record in five starts from a runner-up finish in the $150,000 Next Generation at Scioto Downs, has now banked $147,500 in her career.

Diana Hanover (Tim Tetrick, 1:54 4/5 winning mile) brushed out of fourth for the lead in the backstretch and comfortably took the lone $30,00 division of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series by 3 1/4 lengths over Turtle Dove (Mattias Melander) and These Days (Todd McCarthy). Richard "Nifty" Norman trains the Chapter Seven-Dabra Day filly for owners Melvin Hartman and Little E LLC.

A $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod division was won by Hanna Hill (Andy McCarthy, 1:54 3/5), who lifted from a shuffle towards the top to win by three lengths. Petter Engblom trains the daughter of Gimpanzee out of multiple-stakes winner Caprice Hill.

--press releases (Red Mile)--