Red Mile: Ramona Hill captains Alagna Armada on Sunday's program

Hambletonian winner Ramona Hill leads the Alagna Armada's charge on Sunday (Oct. 4) at The Red Mile, where the champion filly will race in the final of a total 12 divisions of Bluegrass Stakes.

Ramona Hill, conditioned by The Red Mile's leading trainer Tony Alagna, will start from post seven in the third of three divisions of the $209,600 Bar Hopping Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Filly Trot, sponsored by the Bar Hopping Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farm. The Muscle Hill-Lock Down Lindy filly enters the race the 8-5 morning line favorite and on a six-race win streak, with 12 wins overall from 14 starts and $1.3 million banked. Regular pilot Andrew McCarthy will have the lines as she competes against Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Crucial, who starts from post five for trainer Ron Burke and driver David Miller.

The opening division of the Bar Hopping sees Nancy Takter trainee Panem finally shake away from the top fillies of the division. After finishing third in the Hambletonian Oaks, the Father Patrick filly has since taken residency at the Lexington oval, competing in Kentucky Sires Stakes and finishing second in the $250,000 final. Dexter Dunn will steer the three-time winner with over $300,000 earned from post three against Sans Defaut, who enters off a win in the $83,800 Old Oaken Bucket, and New York Sire Stakes star Love A Good Story.

Hambletonian Oaks champ Sorella returns stateside in the second Bar Hopping division following a third-place finish in the $266,000 Elegantimage at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Yannick Gingras drives the Muscle Hill filly for Takter as she matches up with Elegantimage runner-up Sister Sledge - starting from post seven for trainer Ron Burke and driver Tim Tetrick - and Oaks runner-up Hypnotic AM - starting from post five for trainer Marcus Melander and driver Brian Sears.

Alagna sends out Captain Kirk in the opening Bluegrass Stakes division on the day, the first of three splits of the $203,800 Captaintreacherous 3-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace - sponsored by the Captaintreacherous Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. Sired by the star Alagna pupil and the stake's namesake, Captain Kirk enters off a third-place finish to Tall Dark Stranger in the $250,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes final. Joe Bongiorno drives the only horse to beat Tall Dark Stranger this year from post four against Little Brown Jug heat winner Sandbetweenmytoes and Jug runner-up Cattlewash.

Capt Midnight goes for Alagna in the second Captaintreacherous division. Another sired by Captaintreacherous, Capt Midnight neared $500,000 in earnings after finishing third in the first heat of the Little Brown Jug, but then scratched from the final. Andrew McCarthy will drive from post one against world champion and Ohio Sires Stakes star Elver Hanover, Grand Circuit upstart Warrawee Vital, and Kentucky Sires Stakes runner-up Fortify.

Tall Dark Stranger leads the final division of the Captaintreacherous as the 3-2 morning line favorite. The millionaire son of Bettor's Delight has only lost twice in 18 starts and accrued $1.7 million in earnings from wins in races such as the Meadowlands Pace, Cane Pace, and North America Cup. Gingras drives the colt from post one for Takter as they face Captain Barbossa, starting from post six for Alagna fresh off a win in the Little Brown Jug.

Per Engblom trainee Beads looks to continue his trail of improvement in the first of three divisions of the $211,700 Greenshoe Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot, sponsored by the Greenshoe Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. The Archangel colt was aimed earlier in the year for the Hambletonian but failed to make the final. Since adding Lasix on Hambletonian Day, the Archangel colt has yet to lose and will carry a five-race win streak into Sunday with Sears at the helm from post five.

Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champ Amigo Volo returns to the site of his coming out in the second Greenshoe division. Last year, the Father Patrick gelding shipped to Lexington and won his division of Bluegrass by seven lengths and the next week, despite making a break in the race, won in a division of International Stallion Stakes. The Richard "Nifty" Norman trainee parlayed those performances into a win in the Breeders Crown and has since finished fourth from post 10 in the Hambletonian and won the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship. Dexter Dunn drives the near millionaire from post seven.

Norman later sends Chestnut Hill, off a 60-1 upset in the Canadian Trotting Classic, in the final division of the Greenshoe. The Muscle Hill colt had, prior to his Grand Circuit victory, strolled to a 1:53 2/5 win in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Consolation. David Miller gets the lines back as Chestnut Hill starts from post five in a field which includes an Ake Svanstedt-trained trio: Gangster Hanover from post one, Coventry Hall from post six, and Jula Trix Treasure from post eight.

Alagna sends out a pair in the first of three divisions of the $236,600 American Ideal Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Filly Pace, sponsored by Brittany Stallion Management. Reflect With Me, a daughter of Captaintreacherous, enters the 2-1 morning line favorite off a second-place finish in the $250,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes final to Baby Your The Best - who starts from post one. McCarthy again drives the filly while her stablemate, New York Sire Stakes champ Hen Party, starts from post three with Tetrick in the sulky.

Sail By steps up into Grand Circuit company for Alagna in the second American Ideal division off a 1:50 4/5 romp in the Kentucky Commonwealth final. McCarthy will drive the Captaintreacherous filly from post eight as she competes against the likely favorite in the race, Party Girl Hill, who enters undefeated in 11 starts and off a victory in the Jugette. Dunn drives the 2-1 morning line choice for trainer Chris Ryder.

Runner-up to Party Girl Hill in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship, JK First Lady will start from post two in the final division of the American Ideal. The Takter trainee, out of her former pupil JK She'salady, enters off a 1:49 1/5 victory in an overnight race at the Meadowlands in the middle of September. Gingras drives the Western Ideal filly against a field including Alagna trainee Lady Lou from post five, Jugette runner-up New Year from post six, and Linda Toscano trainee Rocknificent from post seven.

The stakes-laden 15-race card has first race post time slated for 1:00 p.m. (EDT).

--press release (The Red Mile)--