Red Mile: Miller Time twice, Special Way shines in Bluegrass for 2YO filly trotters

David Miller won with Railee Something and Mambacita and Special Way won for the fifth straight time in $118,000 Bluegrass Series action for freshman trotting fillies on Friday afternoon at The Red Mile.

Railee Something gave trainer Chris Ryder yet another Bluegrass winner this week when she took the first grouping in 1:53 2/5. Railee Something led to the 29 1/5 opening quarter, then yielded to favored Fashion Annie (Tim Tetrick) on the way to the 57 3/5 half. Fashion Annie clicked off three-quarters in 1:26 and turned for home first, but Miller tipped Railee Something to the outside for the drive, and she was able to out-foot Fashion Annie to win by a length. Emira Mil IT (Ake Svanstedt) closed well for third.

A homebred daughter of International Moni for Ron Mersky, Railee Something has six wins from 11 career starts. She has pocketed $196,306. Dismissed at 16-1, she paid $34.60 to win.

"We thought she deserved the shot," Mersky said after the race of trying Railee Something, runner-up in the Kentucky Commonwealth Series final, on the Grand Circuit. "Chris has done a wonderful job with her. We actually have her eligible for the Breeders Crown and next week's race, but one at a time. We'll assess it after this one."

Miller and Tetrick were first and second again in the next division with Mambacita and Life Itself. Life Itself drove on two-wide to take the top spot passing the 28 4/5 opening quarter, but Mambacita pulled out of the pocket and hit the front racing to the 57 2/5 half. Mambacita would then trot through three-quarters in 1:26 before she sprinted home in 27 2/5 to score by three lengths in 1:53 2/5. Pure Hope S (Svanstedt) collected third.

Tony Alagna trains Mambacita, a filly from the first crop of Tactical Landing, for co-owner/breeder Crawford Farms and co-owners Alagna Racing and Pryde Stables. Mambacita has a record of 3-2-1 from eight trips behind the gate, pushed her earnings to $276,312, and returned $5.04 to win as the favorite.

"She really has been a model of consistency throughout the year," Alagna said after the race. "She started early [in the] New Jersey Sire [Stakes], and our plan was always to bring her down here. She went good through the Sire Stakes, got a little bit of a break, qualified her back, went to the [Kentucky Championship] final and then today she was probably as good as she's been all year. I told Dave it looked like she's back to her old self."

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Special Way (Svanstedt), the winner in the Kentucky Championship Series final, put up fractions of 28 3/5, 57, and 1:25 in the last flight and then motored home in 27 seconds to draw off and prevail by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:52. Walner Payton (Dexter Dunn) closed well for second and Secret Volo (Brian Sears) gained to finish third.

The victorious Walner filly is also trained by Svanstedt for owners/breeders Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, and Al Libfeld. She is now a five-time victor from seven chances, and she has now banked $384,975. She paid $3.00 to win as the 1-2 chalk.

"It's thrilling for us to have fillies like this, but particularly to share it with George [Segal of Brittany Farms] and Al - the three of us love the sport and are heavily involved in it, but to be here in Lexington and enjoy the experience...it's hard to describe," said Katz. "It's great to develop a line like that, which we have over a period of years, and its very rewarding."

--quotes courtesy of Ray Cotolo--