On Sunday, September 1, Go Dog Go and Miki And Minnie (featured in the accompanying photo) triumphed over their favoured rivals in their respective races during the $108,108 fourth leg of the Kentucky Championship Series for freshman male trotters and two-year-old pacing fillies.
Go Dog Go, driven by Todd McCarthy, settled into third place, keeping a close watch on the pocket favourite, Chat Room, with longshot General Kronos (Tim Tetrick) setting the pace at fractions of :28.4, :56.3, and 1:25.3. As the seven-horse field approached the stretch, Go Dog Go decided to unleash his speed, finishing strongly in :27 to surpass the hard-charging Blank (Dexter Dunn) and secure the win, stopping the timer at a lifetime-best 1:53.
Trained by Carter Pinske and owned by Wiesman Farms and Al Libfel, Go Dog Go boasts a record of 4-2-1-0 and has earned $102,284. Bred by Wiesman Farms, he was acquired for $110,000 at the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. His supporters were rewarded with a payout of $5.34.
Miki And Minnie, with Dexter Dunn at the reins, thwarted the undefeated favourites Looksgoodinloulou (Gingras) and Ascendance (Scott Zeron) in the division for freshman pacing fillies, finishing with a new personal best of 1:50.3. Sweet Ballad (David Miller) took second place, while Champagne Room (Andrew McCarthy) finished third.
Starting from post position eight in a 10-horse race, Miki And Minnie initially paced in third place as Duration led the first split in :27.1. The filly's driver took charge, hitting the half-mile in a brisk :56 before Duration reclaimed the lead at three-quarters, clocking in at 1:23.4. With a powerful finishing kick of :26.3, Miki And Minnie surged to the front again in the stretch, winning by two lengths.
Trained by Chris Ryder, Miki And Minnie is homebred for Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo, and Lawrence Minowitz. Her career record now stands at 6-2-4-0, with earnings of $108,991. She delivered a payout of $17.18 for her second victory.
Racing will continue on Monday, September 2, at The Red Mile, with the first post scheduled for 1 p.m.