Red Mile: Perfect Sting thwarts Burke's attempt at Bluegrass sweep to stay undefeated

Perfect Sting improved his record to seven-for-seven and trainer Ron Burke had a double in the three Bluegrass battles for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Saturday's afternoon program at The Red Mile.

Driven by David Miller in the last $120,100 flight, Perfect Sting got away in third and tipped to the outside past the 27 4/5 opening quarter. He moved up and around Burke trainee Summa Cum Laude (Gingras) passing the 55 1/5 half, then repelled a first-over advance from Always A Miki (Dexter Dunn) around the final turn and to the 1:23 3/5 three-quarters. In the lane Always A Miki couldn't sustain his bid any longer, but Summa Cum Laude came up the pylons and looked like he might be able to topple Perfect Sting. Perfect Sting had other thoughts, though, as he dug in gamely when Miller asked him to and held sway by half a length in 1:50. Always A Miki held third.

Joe Holloway trains Perfect Sting, a homebred for Brittany Farms LLC. and Val D'Or Farms. Perfect Sting, a colt by Always B Miki, has earned $254,450, his dam is the world champion Bettor's Delight mare Shebestingin (1:47, $759,522), and he is now her top-earning offspring. Perfect Sting returned $2.40 to win as the 1-5 choice.

"I said back in about March or April, he's got the potential to the best horse I've ever had, and I think he is. Nobody was this advanced at 2 - Always B Miki wasn't, Jenna's Beach Boy wasn't, Jenna won, but he's getting there," said Holloway. "He's still learning. Today, he needed that. He's only raced a little bit in a month. I was 38 years old when I had Jenna, and I thought they'd come along all the time. I now realize they don't come along that often.

"Dug in, came home in 26 2/5, does what he has to do."

Lou's Pearlman (Matt Kakaley) won the first and fastest $119,100 section in 1:49 1/5, just missing his sire Sweet Lou's world record for a 2-year-old colt pacer on a mile track that he co-holds. One Eight Hundred (Dunn) was fired up on the engine, posting fractions of 26, 52 4/5, and 1:21 3/5, and he was done after three-quarters as a first-up Commanding Officer (Joe Bongiorno) blew by him. Lou's Pearlman tracked Commanding Officer's cover, though, and rallied past him in the lane, then held sway over a gaining Literl Lad Hanover (D. Miller), another member of the Burke Brigade, to tally by three-parts of a length. Commanding Officer ended up third.

"That was a dream trip, for sure. He won his first (four) races, I think, and we thought he was something special right away," remarked Kakaley. "He got a little sick, had a little problem here and there, and he didn't finish out the PA Sire Stakes the way we hoped, but he's bounced back, and Ronnie's done a good job getting him back the way he was at the beginning of the year.

"We feel Lou's Pearlman is a better colt right now, anyway; I really like that other one (Literl Lad Hanover), though. He's a nice colt, too, and he raced great again today. He's been racing good."

Lou's Pearlman is a homebred for Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., and Elizabeth Novak, with Howard Taylor also part of the ownership group. Lou's Pearlman has a record of won for the fifth time from nine appearances, and he has now banked $191,318. The favorite, Lou's Pearlman paid $5.20 to win.

The Burke barn's other victor was Southwind Gendry, who won the second division in 1:50 2/5. Gingras, who is back in the U.S. after driving in Canada for a while, reassumed the drive on Southwind Gendry and brushed him from fourth to first after the 28 2/5 opening quarter. Southwind Gendry reached the half in 55 4/5 and the three-quarters in 1:23 4/5, then sprinted home in 26 3/5 to win by a length and a quarter over pocket-sitter Highlandbeachsbest (Tim Tetrick). Shakespeare (Todd McCarthy) finished well to get third.

Burke trains Southwind Gendry, a gelding from the first crop of Always B Miki, for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., Phil Collura, Knox Services Inc., and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby. Southwind Gendry, who was bred by Southwind Farms LLC. and went for $30,000 at last year's Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, has a record of 7-0-0 from nine tries, and he has now pocketed $359,419. Southwind Gendry is the sixth foal out of the Cam's Card Shark mare Gambler's Passion (1:50 4/5, $123,100), a three-quarter sister to Geez Joe (Roll With Joe, 1:47 4/5, $324,932). Sent off at 1-2, Southwind Gendry returned $3.00 to win.

"He got started a little bit late this year and it maybe actually helped him," stated Burke. "He got very sick when he came up from Florida, so we maybe missed one sire stake, and he only had one qualifier. He's been actually a pleasant surprise. Training down we really just thought he was like middle-of-the-road, and we gelded him because all he wanted to do was fight and not actually race. Since then, he's improved tremendously, and now I think he is a top colt.

"Yannick was going to get him back when he got back (from Canada). David (Miller) did a great job. He did a wonderful job teaching him along the way and making him learn to be a race horse. I can't thank David enough, but Yannick's done well with him also."