On Tuesday (Aug. 15), Red Mile conducted 10 sire stakes events for freshman and sophomore males and females of both gaits on a 16-race card. Hambletonian victor Tactical Approach made his return to the Bluegrass a triumphant one with a win in the $80,000 second leg of the Kentucky Sire Stakes Series for male sophomore trotters.
Better Is Nice collected his third straight win and stamped himself as one to watch in the two-year-old colt and gelding pacing division.
Tactical Approach and Scott Zeron slipped past Ari Ferrari J (Dexter Dunn) to glide to victory. Khaosan Road (Ake Svanstedt) was third.
Point Of Perfect (Yannick Gingras) assumed command at the beginning of the mile while the Hambletonian winner settled in fifth from his rail position. Point Of Perfect led the field of nine through fractions of :27.1, :56.3 and 1:24.1. The colt, however, had rivals on his trip to the finish line. Ari Ferrari J and Khaosan Road made their bids a bit earlier than Tactical Approach, but he and Zeron went by in late stretch to collect his fifth victory in 10 starts this year, stopping the timer in 1:51.3. The Nancy Takter trainee paid $3.36 to win as the favourite.
Tactical Approach is by Tactical Landing, a full sibling to world champion and Breeders Crown winner Mission Brief. Tactical Approach is out of the Donato Hanover mare Sarcy, who earned $261,333 on the racetrack. Sarcy also foaled Kentucky champion Double Deceiver (sired by Cantab Hall, $822,579 career earnings) -- that gelding also won the 2023 Matron Stakes for his age, sex and gait and finished second in the $810,000 Breeders Crown final behind King Of The North. Bred by Steve Stewart and Oakwood Farms, Tactical Approach was purchased for $85,000 under the name Rackuencourt by Jim Fielding, Robert Leblanc and Joe Sbrocco And JAF Racing at the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Tactical Approach has a record of 7-0-4 in 15 starts and has banked $657,989.
Andrew McCarthy and Better Is Nice annexed their third victory from four career starts in the second leg of the Kentucky Sire Stakes Series for freshman male pacers. Dancin Champion (Tim Tetrick) was second and Tua Many Captains (Andy Miller) was third.
Snap Count (David Miller) went to the lead at the beginning mile with Better Is Nice in fourth place. After pacing the opening quarter in :28.1, Ivy Park (Gingras) passed Snap Count. He clicked off fractions of :56.2 and 1:25.2 before Tua Many Captains, Better Is Nice and Dancin Champion came to call. Better Is Nice prevailed and outlasted a determined Dancin Champion to win by a neck in 1:53.
Trained by Tony Alagna, Better Is Nice has a record of 3-0-1 in four starts and has earned $178,600. The colt is the third foal out of 2015 Eternal Camnation winner Thatsoveryverynice and is a half sibling to Danger Zone (Captaintreacherous, $117,400).
Better is Nice was bred by Alagna Racing and Marvin Katz. He was purchased for $30,000 at the 2022 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale by Alagna Racing, Pryde Stables and Birnam Wood Farms.
Driver Todd McCarthy made his second steer of Kissincaptain a winning one in the $30,000 second leg of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series for two-year-old colt pacers in 1:53.2. The $275,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase is trained by Alagna and owned by Riverview Racing LLC, Marvin and Lynn Katz and KissinCaptain Racing. He paid $12.80 to win.
Kentucky stalwart Prince Of Honor (T. McCarthy, $2.80) kicked off his season a perfect two-for-two in the leg for sophomore male trotters with a final time of 1:54. He is trained by Carter Pinkse and owned by Pinske Stables and David Hoese.
Djimon and Gingras took the other division for sophomore male trotters in 1:54.1. Djimon is a half sibling to Winning Shadow (Credit Winner, $879,276) and Ritson (Cantab Hall, $286,404). The son of Tactical Landing is trained by Mark Steacy and owned by Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc., Dale Larson and Stephen Downey. He paid $12.66 to win.
Todd McCarthy guided Arson (Captaintreacherous-Western Montana) to victory in a new lifetime mark in the $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series leg for two-year-old colt pacers. He paid $2.70 to win.
My Favorite Dali and Mitchell Cushing won the second division for freshman male pacers in 1:53.4. The winner paid $11.16.
Chamba (Svanstedt, $4.06) won the first division for sophomore male trotters in 1:53.3 with Kenobi (Tetrick, $8.04) taking the second split in 1:55. Pedal On Medal (Tetrick, $3.50) won the third division in 1:55.3.
Red Mile offers a rich buffet of wagering items including a 20-cent Pick-6 with 15 per cent takeout, a 50-cent Pick-5 with an industry low 12 per cent takeout, a Super Hi-5 with a15 per cent takeout and Pick-4 events with a $10,000 guaranteed pool in conjunction with the U.S. Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program.
Red Mile races on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday schedule with a 1 p.m. EDT post time through Oct. 8. Free program pages are available at the Red Mile website in addition to race replays and a daily livestream of each card.
(With files from Red Mile)