Red Mile: Freshman colt trotters set to battle in Bluegrass

The fortnight of Grand Circuit racing at The Red Mile begins on Thursday, Sept. 27 with four divisions of the $343,000 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot highlighting the nine-race program.

Peter Haughton Memorial winner Don’t Let’em tries to rebound off two last-place efforts when he starts from post four in the $86,000 first division, carded as the third race on the program. The Jimmy Takter-trained colt by Muscle Hill has struggled with his gait in three of his four starts over the Lexington oval and more recently broke stride around the final turn in the $250,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes (KYSS) final. Owned by Brittany Farms, Christina Takter, John Fielding and Herb Liverman, the winner of four races in eight starts and $238,117 in earnings will have Jimmy Takter sit in the bike.

Marcus Melander-trainee Green Manalishi S, runner-up to Don’t Let’em in the Peter Haughton Memorial, enters the $85,000 second division off a 1:53 4/5 lifetime-best victory in the $308,000 William Wellwood Memorial at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Finishing no worse than second in all six starts of his career, the Muscle Hill colt has banked over $300,000 in earnings so far for owner Courant Inc and will start from post one with Tim Tetrick driving.

Forecast faces his first Grand Circuit test in the $86,000 third division of Bluegrass following his 1:53 4/5 one-length victory in the $250,000 KYSS final. Owned by William Wiswell, Jean Goehlen and Eugene Schick, the John Butenschoen-trained colt by Muscle Hill has five wins from nine starts this season and $186,650 earned. Corey Callahan will sit behind from post three.

Union Forces, pulling a 33-1 upset in an elimination for the William Wellwood Memorial, competes against Forecast from post six for trainer Domenico Cecere and driver Scott Zeron. The colt by Cantab Hall galloped heading to the half in the Wellwood final and finished eighth—his first off-the-board finish in his career. Winning three races from five starts, Union Forces has collected $40,957 in earnings for owners Lindy Farms of Connecticut, Robert Rudolph, David Anderson and John Fielding.

Cecere also sends Kings County, driven by Scott Zeron, from post seven in the $86,000 final division off a fourth-place finish in the Wellwood Memorial. The Muscle Hill colt, owned by Lindy Farms of Connecticut, contests against Cantab Fashion, a Cantab Hall colt trained by Jim Campbell for owner Fashion Farms LLC, and Prospect Hill, a colt by Muscle Hill trained by Julie Miller for owner Stroy Inc.

Cantab Fashion, starting from post three with driver David Miller, enters off a three-race win streak, winning by a combined 22 lengths in his last three outings. His most recent win, a lifetime best, came in a division of the Kindergarten Classic at Tioga Downs timed in 1:54 2/5.

Prospect Hill, a winner of seven races in nine starts, has accrued over $180,000 in earnings and enters off victories in a $30,833 division of the Keystone Classic at The Meadows and a $48,218 division of the Standardbred Stakes at the Delaware County Fair. Andy Miller steers the colt from post two.

The nine-race card, which also features a $3,000 division of the Billings Amateur Drivers and three late closing events for 2-year-old trotting fillies, starts at 7:00 p.m. (EDT).

-edited release (Ray Cotolo for Red Mile)