Three-year-olds throw down in $200,000 Oak Grove stakes card

Oak Grove, KY — On Monday (July 4) eight $25,000 legs of the Oak Grove Early Sire Stakes were conducted at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel. Harness racing driver Tony Hall collected three wins in sire stakes action and five of the eight favorites visited the winner’s circle. Also, no winners of the first legs returned to repeat this week.

Dont Fence Me In (Captaintreacherous-Mystery Game) would not be denied in 3-year-old filly pacing division

Kentucky champion Dont Fence Me In (Andrew McCarthy) returned to her winning ways when she took the second division in 1:52.2 over Ainthesamewithoutu (Tony Hall) and Jazzed (Andy Miller).

Trained by Tony Alagna, Dont Fence Me In is owned by Riverview Racing, Alagna Racing, Steven Head and Pryde Stables. The filly earned $345,782 last year and concluded her season with a third-place finish in the $359,450 Three Diamonds.

She kicked off her campaign this year with a victory in a non-winner’s event at Harrah’s Philadelphia, then was third in a $68,116 Pennsylvania Sire Stake contest over the same oval before finishing seventh in her $20,000 Fan Hanover elimination at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Dont Fence Me In was then second to divisional leader Treacherous Dragon at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in a $67,316 Pennsylvania Sire Stake prior to traveling to Kentucky.

Dont Fence Me In improved her record to 18-7-5-3 and her bankroll to $389,784. She paid $2.40 to win as the prohibitive favorite.

Lock Bridge (Captaintreacherous) and driver Dexter Dunn surged past leader Captains Princess to record the second victory of her career in 1:52.4. Lookatmyrapsheet (Charlie Conrad) was second and Galinaruckus (Randy Crisler) was third in the first division for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

Trained by Linda Toscano for Enviro Stables, South Mountain Stables, Camelot Stable and Westminster Road, Lock Bridge now sports a record of 10-2-5-2 and has earned $40,850. Each the filly’s wins have come this season after finishing third in four starts as a 2-year-old.

Bred by Riverview Breeding, Visionary Breeding and Minisink Farms, Lock Bridge is out of the mare Turnoffthelights, making her a half-sibling to the $1 million earner Bedroomconfessions (American Ideal). She is a full sibling to Military Secret ($120,000) and Commanding Officer ($162,487) and was a $90,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale Purchase.

Sent off as the favorite, Lock Bridge paid $5 to win.

Summer Trader, Terminator take divisions for 3-year-old male pacers

Summer Trader (Sweet Lou-Cool Treasure) provided his driver, Tony Hall, with the first of his three sire stakes wins on the day when the gelding defeated post-time favorite Vicious (McCarthy) in the first of two divisions for 3-year-old male pacers. American Classic (A. Miller) was third.

Trained by John Ackley, Summer Trader paced the mile in 1:50.3. He now has a resume of 13-4-3-1 and has amassed $44,986 in purse money.

The gelding posted the biggest upset on the card in the sire stakes divisions as he paid $24.80.

Summer Trader is owned by CT Stable and was bred by Fred Kruszelnicki.

Terminator (Downbytheseaside-Crescent City) with driver Andy Miller won the second division for his age, sex and gait by a nose over Wolftrax (John MacDonald) in 1:50.4. The post-time favorite River Ness (Dunn) was third.

Trained by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stables, Weaver Bruscemi, Knox Services and J&T Silva Stables, Terminator boosted his bank account to $190,883 and his record to 16-4-4-4.

Terminator was second to Gulf Shores, Ohio’s 2-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year, in last year’s $300,000 Ohio Sire Stakes final. Gulf Shores recently finished second in the $261,730 Messenger Pace.

Bred by Diamond Creek Farm, Terminator paid $6.80 to win as the public’s second choice.

Blue Bayou Deo trots faster than the boys in 3-year-old filly trotter division

Blue Bayou Deo (Trixton – Blue Yonder) and driver John MacDonald lowered her previous lifetime mark by more than three seconds when she tripped the timer in 1:53 in the first division for 3-year-old trotting fillies. Blue Bayou Deo bested post-time favorite Pioneer As (Tony Hall) in the stretch drive. Spendthemoneyhoney (Andy Miller) was third.

Trained by Jason Robinson, Blue Bayou Deo is owned by Thestable Blue Bayou Deo. She was bred by Deo Volente Farms and T L P Stable.

Blue Bayou Deo now has a record of 18-4-3-5 with three of those victories this season. Her bankroll now stands at $66,724.

The filly paid $14.20 at the windows.

Grandeur (Love You-Caress The Senses, Tony Hall) collected her second win of the season in as many starts in the second leg for trotting fillies. Leaving from post position four, Grandeur took the lead in the first-quarter mile and then sat in the pocket until they headed for the wire. Nikki The Nun (Andrew McCarthy) was second and Those Blues (Dexter Dunn) was third.

Grandeur, who completed the mile in 1:56, competes as a homebred for Carter Duer and is trained by Bob Stewart.

The filly now has three wins from eight starts and has earned $29,750.

Grandeur paid $5 to her supporters as the favorite.

Ducasse defeats first leg winner Ezra in 3-year-old trotting division

In the more eventful and swifter second division for male sophomore trotters, Ducasse (Father Patrick-Summer Savory) and driver AnDucasse made his move at the top of the stretch and reeled Ezra, who won a first leg of this event, in. Iwon’t Back Down As (Hall) came along late to be third.

Owned by Brixton Medical Inc., Christina Taxter, Hatfield Stables and Fair Island Farm, Ducasse is trained by Nancy Takter and was bred by Fair Island Farm. The gelding how has a record of 9-5-2-1 in 2022 after going winless in four starts as a freshman. One of those victories was in the $20,000 Bobby Weiss Series Consolation at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on April 23.

Sent off as the favorite, Ducasse paid $5.40 to win. He has now earned $77,786.

Golden Wall As (Walner-Golden Door Lindy) and driver Tony Hall rebounded from a third-place finish in the first sire stakes leg to score in 1:55.1 in the first division. Trained by Anette Lorentzon, the colt pulled away from Jetborne (Christian Lind) in the lane. Gaelihill (Trond Smedshammer) was third.

Owned by ACL Stuteri AB and Kejell Johansson, Golden Wall As was bred by ACL Stuteri AB and now has a record of 14-6-3-2. He has earned $92,405 and is now 5-3-1-1 this season.

Golden Wall As paid $4 as the public’s top choice at the windows.

With second round action now concluded, the $25,000 consolation and final for sophomores will be held on July 18. For freshman the $25,000 consolation and the $100,000 final will be on July 17.

The fourth and final legs for the 4-year-old series will be conducted on July 12 with the $150,000 finals on July 19.

Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel features live harness racing on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. First post is 3 p.m. CDT. For more information on Kentucky’s Standardbred programs and updated point standings for sire stakes and other series events, please click here.

For complete race results, click here.

by Kimberly French, for the Kentucky Harness Association