Red Mile: Grade 1 Kentucky Futurity goes to Nix Nacken

Fresh off a 12-1 victory in last week's Grade 1 Canadian Trotting Classic, Nix Nacken pulled off another win at double-digit odds in the Grade 1 $575,000 Kentucky Futurity for 3-year-old male trotters on Saturday evening at The Red Mile, prevailing at 17-1 and equaling his own world record of 1:50 for a sophomore gelding.

With Björn Goop in the bike for trainer Marcus Melander, Nix Nacken got away well from the pole position, which was not the case for stablemate Apex (Dexter Dunn), as he made a break before the start, as did Magic Punk (Yannick Gingras). Nix Nacken would get to the quarter first in 27 1/5 but yielded to Inexpressable (Scott Zeron) past that marker.

Race favorite Big Ranger, driven by Tim Tetrick, was parked all the way around the opening bend from post nine and that continued into the backstretch as he had to work past the 54 second half to get around Inexpressable. As that was going on up front, American Power (James MacDonald) began a first-over move out of the eighth spot and towed Zephyr Kemp (Todd McCarthy) into contention from second-over.

American Power sustained his uncovered march to get into second as Big Ranger clicked off three-quarters in 1:22 1/5, and while Zephyr Kemp spoiled his trip by going off-stride, American Power continued to pour it on from there to forge to the front turning for home. Watching the action on the pylons and taking a shuffle had been Nix Nacken and Goop, but they had ample room to tip out on late on the final bend and begin to build momentum.

In the stretch American Power looked to finish it out, but Inexpressable rallied to his outside and Nix Nacken was coming fast wider out. Nix Nacken went by both American Power and Inexpressable in the final sixteenth and got to the wire three-quarters of a length in front of 67-1 shot Read The Room (Ake Svanstedt), who closed in 26 3/5 from ninth at three-quarters for second. Inexpressable was next, followed by American Power and Neighver Punt (Orjan Kihlstrom).

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"I drove him at the Meadowlands on Hambletonian Day last year. He was a little bit childish at that time, but he showed good speed. Of course he has improved a lot this year," Goop said of Nix Nacken. "I hoped to be second or third on the inside by the rail, and that ended up good, and then he did a really good homestretch.

"[Apex breaking] made it easier for us, of course, but it's always a little bit sad when good horses make breaks. I think our horse made a great race and he was a great winner."

It was mixed emotions for Melander as he was happy to have won the race - he was also fourth and fifh with American Power and Neighver Punt among his six entrants - but forlorn to have seen Apex go on a break.

"He's been racing pretty good all year but lately it's been great form," Melander said of Nix Nacken, who he said will now head to the Breeders Crown. "I saw Apex made a break, so I switched spots where I was standing to look at a bigger television. It's disappointing, of course, he's one of the favorites. American Power looked really strong in the last turn. I saw he was going to take over the lead, and then I saw Inexpressable was going to pass him, and then I saw Nix Nacken coming all the way out. He raced fantastic."

A Muscle Hill gelding, Nix Nacken is owned by Courant Inc. Bred by Kentuckiana Farms and Eddie Gran, Nix Nacken has a summary of 8-4-4 from 26 starts, has earned $1,193,396 and paid $37.48 to win.

"It's a tough game but we were lucky getting post one, and the horse did really well," said Courant's Anders Ström. We got Bjorn on the horse, and Bjorn and I have known each other for ages. It's extra fun to win with him.

"Bjorn is a fantastic horseman, and I really appreciate he came over. He came last night, he drove today and he's leaving at 6 a.m. tomorrow, so that's a tough job. That's a good friend."