The Red Mile: Sophomores kick off Kentucky Sire Stakes action

The 3-year-olds raced in the first of three $30,000 legs of the Kentucky Sires Stakes (KYSS) over a fast track at The Red Mile on a perfect Kentucky Sunday evening.

The colt trot, featuring a couple of Hambletonian contenders, was the last of the stakes but the most-intriguing, and Wolfgang (Jordan Stratton) bounced back from a disappointing effort on Hambletonian Day to hold on in a tight photo over longshot Eurobond (Domenico Cecere) in 1:53 2/5. Race favorite and Hambo heat winner Tactical Landing (Jimmy Takter) went off-stride just before the start from his rail post with two horses trailing, losing too much ground to threaten the top two, though he did recover to be third.

Stratton put Wolfgang on the front and had his own way for much of the race until Eurobond joined him on the final turn. That pair slugged it out through the length of the stretch, with Eurobond gaining a slight edge, but Wolfgang was game and dug back in for the win. The winner is trained in the Takter barn and is owned by Brixton Medical, Goran Falk, Hatfield Racing, and breeder Fair Island Farm. The son of My MVP was a $60,000 Lexington yearling.

Twenty-two trotting fillies were spread over three divisions, and the first group took the track for race two. Perry Soderberg’s recent Tattersalls Mixed Sale purchase Urban Legend (Marcus Johansson) shaved two-fifths of a second off her career-best with a 1:54 2/5 win over Byway (Stratton) in her first start for the new owner and trainer, Nancy Johansson. Marcus settled her in early from post two, then moved to the front as they passed the half in 56 3/5. The rest was easy as Urban Legend comfortably held off the challenge from Byway and won in hand. Diamond Creek Farm bred the winner, who was a $70,000 Lexington Selected Sale buy.

Last year’s KYSS final winner in the class, Top Expectations (Stratton) took the second division for trainer Erv Miller in 1:55 4/5. She also moved to the front after everyone had settled, got easy fractions, then sprinted home in 27 1/5 to hold the late-moving Deschanel (Trace Tetrick) at bay with something left. Daniel Plouffe owns Top Expectations, another Lexington sale grad at a $120,000 tag from breeder Dunroven Stud, LLC.

Live Laugh Love (Peter Wrenn) won the third and fastest of the filly canters in 1:52 2/5, using every bit of a 28-second final quarter to hold off the charge from longshot Pat Matters (Takter) by a diminishing neck. Wrenn had her moving early from the outermost post, cleared at the 28 2/5 quarter, then rated the mile evenly for the win. Diamond Creek and Mel Hartman bred the winner and added Dave McDuffee as a partner after she went through the Lexington sale for $90,000.

Pacing fillies numbered fifteen with Pure Paradise (Chris Page) winning the first of two divisions in 1:55. Pure Paradise charged into the lead from first-up in the lane and held off the late bid of defending KYSS champion Band Stand (Matt Krueger) to win by half a length. Pure Paradise is trained by Brian Brown for owners/breeders Michael Robinson and Robert Mondillo and their ownership partners R.B.H. Ventures Inc. and Joe Sbrocco.

The Johanssons took the second filly pace with the improving Dance Blue, who equaled her career-best of 1:50 2/5 in the process. Marcus brushed his filly by early leader and eventual place finisher Neverforgetwhour (Elliott Deaton), then flew home with a fast 26 3/5 close to hold that rival safe. Marvin Katz, Sam Goldband and Goran Anderberg own the winner, a $50,000 Lexington Select buy from breeders Steve Stewart and Cotton & Julie Nash.

Takter pupils finished one-two in the single pacing colt division, but the order was something of a surprise, with the trainer driving Grand Teton to a win over heavily-favored Thinkbig Dreambig (Stratton). Beginning from the outermost post ten in the bulky field of 12, Takter had Grand Teton crossed over to the front by the 27 4/5 quarter, then rated even fractions while Stratton chose a long uncovered grind for Thinkbig Dreambig, who dueled with the leader through a 26 flat end to the 1:51 mile but could not get by. Adam Bowden owns the winner, a homebred, as Diamond Creek Racing.

--press release (The Red Mile)--