Red Mile: Geocentric, Mambacita impress in Kentucky Championship Series

On Sunday (Aug. 13) The Red Mile hosted 10 second round Kentucky Sires Stakes divisions for 2-year-old pacing fillies and sophomore filly trotters. Geocentric remained a perfect four-for-four in her young career in the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series split for 2-year-old filly pacers, and Mambacita returned to her winning ways in the Championship Series clash for 3-year-old trotting fillies.

Pilot Tim Tetrick placed Geocentric (Sweet Lou-Geometry) on the lead immediately from their spot on the rail, and the filly never relinquished that position en route to a gate-to-wire victory over Gifted One (Todd McCarthy) and Seeuontheotherside (Tony Hall). Geocentric, trained by Brian Brown, established fractions of 29 3/5, 57 4/5 and 1:26 1/5 prior to stopping the clock in 1:51 3/5. The filly finished 4 1/2 lengths ahead of her closest rival.

Bred by Diamond Creek Farm, Geocentric, who by virtue of her 1:49 4/5 victory over this surface on Aug. 1 is the fastest 2-year-old pacer this year, was purchased by Milt Leeman, Alan Keith, Jim Stambaugh and Joe Sbrocco for $55,000 at last year's Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. Her dam is a daughter of Dan Patch Award winner See You At Peelers and a half-sibling to Toronto (Always B Miki, $153,415) and Threshold (Sweet Lou, $130,665).

Geocentric paid $2.10 as the heavy favorite and boosted her bankroll to $128,501.

Mambacita and Scott Zeron rebounded after an off-the-board finish in the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks to score in a new lifetime mark of 1:50 4/5. Caviart Gwen was second and favored Railee Something was third.

The Tony Alagna-trained daughter of Tactical Landing sat the pocket behind fellow Oaks contestant Railee Something (Yannick Gingras) right from the beginning of the mile after her departure from post position two. Railee Something clicked off quarter-mile times of 27, 55 4/5, 1:23 3/5 before Mambacita and her driver assumed control in the lane over a swiftly-closing Caviart Gwen (Andrew McCarthy).

Mambacita improved her lifetime record to 8-6-2 from 24 starts and has now collected $657,518 in purse money. The filly was bred by Crawford Farms and was selected for $80,000 at the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale by owners Alagna Racing, Crawford Farms Racing and Pryde Stables.

The winner paid $21.64 to her supporters as the fourth choice.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Flawless Breaks Through in Commonwealth Series

Flawless (Gingras, $21.10) took the $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series leg for 2-year-old filly pacers by a nose in 1:51 4/5 to break her maiden in her fourth career start. Her granddam is world champion and Dan Patch Award winner Yellow Diamond. Trained by Nancy Takter, Flawless races as a homebred for Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband.

Piano Bar (Tetrick, $12.24) won the division for 3-year-old trotting fillies in a new lifetime mark of 1:53 4/5 for her third victory in nine trips to the post. Trained by Ake Svanstedt, the filly competes as a homebred for Al Libfield, Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband.

Doubles for Alagna, McCarthy, Tactical Landing in Golden Rod Series

Una Madonna (Zeron, $6.66) and Foolish Games (T. McCarthy, $3.50), two daughters of Tactical Landing trained by Alagna, scored in the $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series splits for 3-year-old filly trotters.

Every Mans Dream (Gingras, $12.34, Odds On Live Ball (Peter Wrenn, $8) and Direction (T. McCarthy, $3.40) captured the divisions for 2-year-old filly pacers.

The Red Mile offers a rich buffet of wagering options, including a 20-cent Pick 6 with 15 percent takeout, a 50-cent Pick 5 with an industry-low 12 percent takeout, a Super Hi-5 with 15 percent takeout, and Pick 4s with a $10,000 guaranteed pool in conjunction with the U.S. Trotting Association's Strategic Wagering Program.

The Red Mile races on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday schedule with a 1 p.m. EDT post time through Oct. 8.

--edited press release (Red Mile)--