Red Mile: Kentucky Championship Series breakthrough for Heart Of Secret

After finishing runner-up in the last three preliminaries of the Kentucky Championship Series for 2-year-old trotting fillies, Heart Of Secret found the winner's circle with a pillar-to-post score in the $80,000 fourth preliminary on Monday afternoon (Sept. 7) at The Red Mile, stopping the clock in 1:53 2/5.

Leaving from the outermost post in the field scratched to nine, driver Joe Bongiorno sent Heart Of Secret forward and planted onto the lead over 4-5 favorite Redice (driven by Atlee Bender) through the first quarter in 29 2/5. Bongiorno then let Heart Of Secret roll in the second quarter to up the tempo towards a 56 3/5 half, where Fleur Delacour (Mattias Melander) tipped out of fourth to lead the outer tier to the last turn.

Heart Of Secret snagged a minor breather to three-quarters in 1:24 3/5 as Fleur Delacour loomed up the leader's neck but then struggled to surge by once spinning for home. Bongiorno called upon Heart Of Secret in the lane, and the Petter Engblom trainee responded to keep Fleur Delacour at bay to the beam by three-quarters of a length, while Redice angled to the three-wide path and gave chase in third. Sweetest Of All (David Miller) rallied from mid-field for fourth.

A Gimpanzee-House Music FR filly, Heart Of Secret competes for owners Follow Me Stable LLC. and Engblom Farm LLC. She collected her third victory from six starts this season and has now banked $160,000 in earnings. Sent the second choice in the betting, she paid $6.60 to win.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Sabia (Mattias Melander) posted the faster win from the pair of $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series divisions for 2-year-old trotting fillies with a 1:54 4/5 first-up effort through the last turn to down leader Diana Hanover (Peter Wrenn) by a neck. Marcus Melander conditions the Gimpanzee-Bellareina Dolce filly for owner S R F Stable. She paid $2.90 to win.

Petter Engblom pupil Hanna Hill cleared to command past the quarter and strolled to a length win with a 1:55 effort in the other Kentucky Commonwealth division. The Tom Hill homebred, by Gimpanzee and out of stakes-winning mare Caprice Hill, paid $4.04 to win.

Monday's card also featured three $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod divisions for rookie trotting fillies, which were won by Your Grace (Marvin Luna, 1:55 4/5 winning mile; $2.30 to win), Two To The North (David Miller, 1:55 3/5; $4.74) and Mine Mine Mine (Mattias Melander, 1:54 4/5; $6.32).

Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes on Tuesday (Sept. 8) with a 10-race card headlined by the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series fourth preliminary for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings, carded as Race 6, with Meadowlands Pace champ Brandon Blvd coming into town as the 6-5 morning-line favorite. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).

--press release (Red Mile)--