$300,000 Commonwealth finals set for Monday

LEXINGTON, KY— Alongside the Kentucky Championship through the last month, harness racing freshmen and sophomores of each sex and gait competed in a total of four preliminaries for the Kentucky Commonwealth Series. And on Monday (Sept. 20), the remaining six $50,000 finals will go to gate at The Red Mile.

Sophomore trotting fillies open the card with Nancy Takter pupil Altar landing the outermost post in the six-horse contest. Winning in three of the four preliminaries by a combined 25 lengths, Altar bears a speed badge of 1:50.4 taken in the last preliminary on Sept. 7. Dexter Dunn pilots the even-money choice in a field including Princessa, a Bob Stewart trainee with Andrew McCarthy in the bike who was the only one in the series so far to beat Altar. She starts from post 4.

Notorious Pink returns south following a eighth-place finish in the $335,750 Fan Hanover final to start as the 5-2 favorite on the morning line in the sophomore pacing filly final. Todd McCarthy sticks with the Tony Alagna trainee who – prior to her stint north of the border – posted back-to-back 1:49.1 victories in the Kentucky Commonwealth Series. She has post 4 and was McCarthy’s choice over In Lou Of Money, a 1:49.4 winner in the final prelim for trainer Robert Cleary who will now have David Miller in the bike from post 2.

Jula Muscle Pack came one win shy of entering the final for sophomore trotting colts and geldings with a shot at a series sweep. Nonetheless, the Per Engblom trainee draws post 2 off a romp in the final prelim, winning by 7-1/2 lengths in 1:53.1. Andrew McCarthy has the drive to the inside of Platinum As, the Anette Lorentzon trainee who managed to beat Jula Muscle Pack in the second preliminary. Dexter Dunn drives that competitor from post 4 in the 10-horse contest.

The final for pacing glamour boys pins several up-and-coming horses against one another, including the pair of Caviart Lotus and Four More Years. Caviart Lotus exited the Kentucky Championship Series to race in the Commonwealth, where he won in the first two legs before getting bested by Four More Years in the last prelim on Sept. 12. Andrew McCarthy steers the Noel Daley trainee who gets a post advantage on Four More Years with slot 4. Dexter Dunn pilots Four More Years from post 8 for trainer Nancy Takter off his 1:49.3 victory a week ago.

With many almost sweeps at play on the championship weekend, Julie Miller trainee Date Night has a shot at a full series sweep in the final for 2-year-old trotting fillies. She also puts her unbeaten record at risk when she starts from post 2 with Andy Miller in the sulky off wins by a combined 15 lengths. The 10-horse contest also features six other prelim winners who will try to spoil Date Night’s attempt at a sweep.

Despite not winning in the Commonwealth Series, Aintthesamewithoutu ships back to Kentucky with a 9-5 morning-line nod in the final for rookie pacing fillies. The Anette Lorentzon trainee left for Pennsylvania after the Aug. 24 preliminary and finished third in the $40,000 Stallion Series Final and in a $33,250 Keystone Classic division. Andrew McCarthy gets the call from post 4, starting between Kentukylady from post 5 and Acrimony from post 2; they are the only pair in the race with wins in the prelims.

The 10-race finale card to the Kentucky-bred series gets underway with first-race post time at 1 p.m. (EDT).

By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile