Red Mile: Strong Poison dominates in Kentucky Championship Series

Strong Poison became harness racing's newest sub-1:50 2-year-old with a 1:49 3/5 romp in Monday's $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series test for pacing fillies at The Red Mile.

Away second in the field of five, driver Yannick Gingras brought Strong Poison to the outside past the 27 second opening quarter and moved around Cantgetuoutamymind (Andy Miller) for the lead after that marker. Once she hit the front, Strong Poison rolled through a 54 2/5 half and a 1:22 3/5 three-quarters before she closed in 27 seconds flat to win by nine lengths. Devilish Dreams (Todd McCarthy) rallied from fifth to second in the final quarter and Caviart Marcella (Andy McCarthy) came in third.

A daughter of Always B Miki-Fiyonce bred by Steve Stewart, Charles Nash, and Julie Nash, Strong Poison is trained by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., J&T Silva Stables, LLC., Knox Services Inc., and Beasty LLC. A $50,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale buy, she has three wins from five starts, earnings of $104,000, and paid $2.54 to win as the 1-5 favorite.

Burke also won the lone $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series race with Stay Hungry-Lover Of Art filly Hungry For Love in 1:50 4/5. Joey Putnam catch-drove her for owners Thomas and Scott Dillon

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Taking the pair of $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series dashes were My Nay Nay (by Captaintreacherous and bred by Renee Spahr) in 1:52 4/5 for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Tony Alagna, and owner Buckstone Land Livestock, and Sugar Britches (by All Bets Off and bred by co-owner Ronald Mersky) in 1:53 1/5 for driver John MacDonald, trainer Ryan Miller, and co-owner Miller Racing Stable Inc.