Red Mile: Takter's trotters in full force Sunday afternoon

Jimmy Takter’s impressive stable will be in force on Sunday afternoon in Grand Circuit action at The Red Mile. The elite conditioner will see his top two three-year-old trotting fillies Shake It Cerry and Lifetime Pursuit race in separate divisions of the Bluegrass. He’ll also see the leading trotting colt in the sport Father Patrick and stablemate Nuncio race in separate Bluegrass divisions as the two prepare for next week’s Kentucky Futurity.

“I really can’t separate the fillies,” said Takter from Lexington on Thursday. Lifetime Pursuit has been on an impressive roll that included a victory last week at Delaware in the Buckette.

“She’s just gotten better as the season has gone on,” said Takter of Lifetime Pursuit, the likely odds-on favorite in the $86,700 first division (race 5) on the program. Yannick Gingras drives the Cantab Hall-sired miss from post two in search of a seventh straight victory. The Brittany Farms-owned and bred filly has not lost a race since the Hambletonian Oaks elimination on July 26.

Shake It Cerry also landed post two in the second $86,700 Bluegrass stanza (race 11). Ron Pierce guides the Donato Hanover-sired homebred in her first start since capturing the Elegantimage at Mohawk by open lengths on September 13.

On the colt side all eyes will be focused on Father Patrick. The brilliant colt showed his versatility in capturing the Canadian Trotting Classic two weeks ago at Mohawk coming from off the pace. Gingras will handle the colt from the pole position in search of back-to-back 10 win seasons at two and three.

“He seems to be in the easier of the two divisions,” said Takter of the seven-horse field Father Patrick will race with in the $93,100 Bluegrass division carded as race 10.

Nuncio, a runner-up in this year’s Hambletonian but by no means second fiddle to any trotter when it comes to toughness, starts from post six in the first Bluegrass division worth $94,100. “He keeps improving,” said Takter of the son of Andover Hall that has finished first or second in all of his 11 races this season.

Takter confirmed that following next week’s Kentucky Futurity Nuncio would likely be pointed towards the Yonkers Trot.

First, however, Nuncio will have to deal with a solid field that includes the undefeated Mr Lindy (post one) for trainer Frank Antonacci and driver Scott Zeron. Datsyuk, the only horse to defeat Father Patrick this year when that horse did not miscue, drew post two and looks to rebound from an adventurous journey in the Old Oaken Bucket at the Delaware Fairgrounds last Thursday. Trainer Charlie Norris guides the altered son of Explosive Matter.

First post for Sunday’s Red Mile afternoon Grand Circuit action is 1:00 p.m.

[DRF HARNESS: Watch top 2- & 3-year-olds in the Bluegrass series on Sunday at The Red Mile - LIVE on DRF!]