Red Mile: Undefeated Perfect Sting puts his streak on the line Saturday

Make no mistake about it, according to trainer Joe Holloway the undefeated 2-year-old Perfect Sting is still a work in progress. "He's able to go fast while still learning how to race," said Holloway, commenting on the juvenile son of champions Always B Miki and Shebestingin, a pair who graduated to stardom after starting out their respective careers under Holloway's care.

On Saturday, Perfect Sting will attempt to win for the eighth time in as many career starts in perhaps the toughest of three divisions of the $299,100 International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile.

Perfect Sting drew post seven in the field of eight juveniles in race eight on Saturday afternoon's Red Mile program and will be handled once again by regular pilot David Miller. A winner in Grand Circuit action last week, Perfect Sting likely faces the biggest challenge of his young career against a solid group of stakes-seasoned performers.

"I think the best part of the colt is that he's gone a few (1:)49 and change miles and it hasn't taken anything out of him," said Holloway, underscoring one of the strengths of Perfect Sting's sire Always B Miki, a horse that never appeared to be winded at the end of a mile.

Though bred in Pennsylvania, Perfect Sting's 2-year-old season has seen him sidestep the Sire Stakes circuit in that state and instead point towards Kentucky over the summer and its Sire Stakes. "The schedule is something George Segal and Myron Bell worked out," said Holloway. "They wanted him to have an easier campaign early in his 2-year-old season so that he would be ready for the fall."

Given Perfect Sting's continued success, including last week's 1:50 performance in a division of the Bluegrass, that plan has worked flawlessly with the colt who is now over $254K in seasonal earnings and still has big-money races in front of him.

First thing's first and that means overcoming an outside draw in a field that includes the 1-5 beaten favorite in the rich Metro two weeks ago, Abuckabett Hanover (post 3), as well as the Metro runner-up Bayfield Beach (post 4). Trainer Tony Alagna saw stablemate Exploit take the Metro in upset fashion with the heavily public-supported Abuckabett Hanover a tired sixth. From the first crop of Betting Line, Abuckabett Hanover had won his previous four starts, all stakes races, heading into the Metro and last faced Perfect Sting on August 8 at The Meadowlands, finishing a neck back of the undefeated colt on that occasion.

Trainer Brian Brown saw Bayfield Beach take the brunt of the front-end battle and fight bravely in his Metro effort. The Somebeachsomewhere-sired colt has been on the board in seven of his eight starts this year.

Trainer Ron Burke has a pair of improving colts in Summa Cum Laude (post 5) and Literl Lad Hanover (post 6) that enter Saturday's contest off of second-place finishes in the Bluegrass.

Burke also has a pair in the last of the three divisions on Saturday, race nine, in the streaking Southwind Gendry (post 6), a winner in five straight stakes races including the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship on September 5. From the first crop of Always B Miki, Southwind Gendry took a 1:50 2/5 mark in his Bluegrass score.

Lou's Pearlman regained his winning form and a personal-best 1:49 1/5 clocking in capturing the Bluegrass racing off a vicious 52 4/5 opening half before circling all rivals. Lou's Pearlman drew post eight.

Sandwiched between the Burke duo is Exploit, who at 35-1 captured the Metro at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 1:50 4/5 for trainer Tony Alagna. The son of Somebeachsomewhere returns to Lexington where he has made four of his eight career starts.

The final division has some other key talent in Commanding Officer (post 2), a winner in two of his last three starts, and Always A Miki (post 5), an early-season Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner who finished third behind Perfect Sting in last week's Bluegrass.

Holloway suggested that Perfect Sting would be off to the Breeders Crown following Saturday's performance, but wouldn't green light any races following the championship event. For now, he's happy that Perfect Sting has improved in activity between each race. "He wasn't a very good training horse but he's becoming much better at that," said Holloway.

Holloway added that Perfect Sting, at this point in his career, is the best horse he's ever had, but agreed that he'll need to continue to improve to reach the level of champions Jenna's Beach Boy and of course his own sire Always B Miki.

The penultimate Grand Circuit card at The Red Mile kicks off at 1 PM and also includes four Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old filly trotters. Worth between $75,750 and $76,750, the quartet go as races 2, 4, 5 and 7.

Closing day at The Red Mile is Sunday with 12 races including the $444,000 128th Kentucky Futurity for 3-year-old trotters and the 55th Filly Futurity worth $255,000. The fields are below:

$255,000 55th Kentucky Filly Futurity
1-Sans Defaut
2-Next Level Stuff
3-Ramona Hill
4-Sorella
5-Sister Sledge
6-Ms Savannah Belle
7-Love A Good Story
8-Sweet Shirley Mae
9-Panem
10-Hypnotic Am
11-Crucial
12-Ab'sattitudeexpress

$444,000 128th Kentucky Futurity
1-Amigo Volo
2-King Alphonso
3-EL Ideal
4-Back Of The Neck
5-Third Shift
6-Gangster Hanover
7-Chestnut Hill
8-Jula Tricks Treasure
9-Patriarch Hanover
10-Beads
11-Ready For Moni
12-Coventry Hall