On Monday (Aug. 12), The Red Mile hosted thrilling second legs of the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series, with each $111,111 event showcasing intense competition right down to the finish line. Remarkably, last week’s winners had to settle for second place.
In the division for three-year-old male pacers, Nuclear triumphed over Bettor Is Nice by a nose, while Aperfect Annie edged out the unbeaten Yo Tillie by a neck in the race for freshman filly trotters.
Despite being the previous week's victor and a defending champion in Kentucky, Bettor Is Nice (driven by Andrew McCarthy) was not the favoured choice this time around, that honour went to Nuclear (driven by Dexter Dunn). The race unfolded with Dancin Champion (David Miller) leading the pack through fractions of :27.1, :55.3, and 1:23.3. Nuclear maintained a steady position in third for most of the mile, closely followed by Bettor Is Nice in fourth.
As they entered the homestretch, both competitors found their stride, with Nuclear ultimately prevailing by a tantalising nose in a time of 1:50.1. This victory marks Nuclear's second win of the season in seven starts. Copperfield (Todd McCarthy) finished third.
Trained by Joe Holloway, Nuclear has now amassed $184,276 and boasts a career record of 17-4-2-3. He was sold as a yearling at the 2022 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale under the name Jus Wanna B Miki to Val D’Or Farms and bred by Roll The Dice Stable. Nuclear is also a full sibling to Cantgetuoutamymind ($159,271). He returned $3.80 to his supporters.
In the freshman filly trot division, Aperfect Annie (T. McCarthy) put in a strong performance with a :27.4 final quarter to clinch a maiden victory against the previously undefeated Yo Tillie (Verlin Yoder), stopping the clock at 1:54. Spicy Nice (A. McCarthy) came in third.
Starting from post position eight in a field of nine, Aperfect Annie took control early with a quarter-mile split of :28.1 before Yo Tillie took over the lead, setting fractions of :57.1 and 1:26 while Aperfect Annie was poised just behind her. As the race progressed, Aperfect Annie surged to the front, ultimately overcoming Yo Tillie, who may have been impacted by the pace of the race.
Aperfect Annie, a daughter of Googoo Gaagaa-Asixpacfromperfect, is conditioned by Carter Pinske and shows a record of 4-1-3, improving from the previous week’s performance. She has earned $130,519 for Pinske Stables, Melvin Hartman, and Andray Farm. Bred by Robert S. Detweiler, she was sold for $77,000 at the last Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. Aperfect Annie is also a half-sibling to several notable horses including Aperfectyankee (Yankee Glide, $588,017) and A Perfect Gem (Yankee Glide, $192,986). This filly paid $11.58 to her backers.
In other notable performances, Deju Blu (Yannick Gingras), the offspring of two Hambletonian winners, finally broke her maiden after relocating from the East Coast, winning in the second $41,667 leg of the Commonwealth Series for freshman filly trotters. Longshot Mimosatomartini S led early, but Deju Blu secured the lead midway through and held off Dreams Come Easy (Ake Svanstedt) to finish in 1:54.1. Swoop was third in the race.
Deju Blu, sired by Muscle Hill, is bred by Crawford Farms Racing, Brad Grant, and Howard Taylor, and is co-owned by her breeders alongside Thomas Pontone. She earned a win payout of $6.56 for trainer Nancy Takter.
Further results included favoured Women Layer (T. McCarthy) winning the second leg of the $41,667 Commonwealth Series for three-year-old male pacers in 1:49.3. Moni Multiplier (T. Tetrick) claimed the second division for two-year-old trotting fillies in 1:55.4, while Knghtstlkrs Pistol (D. Miller) won the third division for freshman filly trotters in 1:55.
Racing at The Red Mile will continue on Tuesday (Aug. 13), featuring the seasonal debut of Hambletonian champion Karl in the second USD 80,000 leg of the Championship Series for three-year-old male trotters. The card includes two USD 30,000 second-leg divisions of the Commonwealth Series, six USD 15,000 events of the Kentucky Goldenrod Series, and two USD 10,000 contests of the Kentucky Wildcat Series. The first post is set for 1 p.m.