Papi Grad dominates rivals in Bluegrass victory

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Steve Carter trainee Papi Grad (Papi Rob Hanover), in the face of a far-turn blitz, remained resolute and rebuffed first-over challenger Looksgoodinloulou to coast to a 1:51 harness racing victory in the second of four divisions of the $387,500 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Filly Pace on Thursday afternoon (Sept. 26) at The Red Mile.

Leaving from post 6, driver Dexter Dunn floated Papi Grad forward to grab the helm from Faze (driven by Tim Tetrick) passing a :27.4 first quarter. She strolled up the backside to a :56.1 half while her peers tracking plotted their move against the 1-2 favorite.

Looksgoodinloulou (Yannick Gingras) flirted with a move off the cones until no bait flushed, so Gingras launched her forward and quickly advanced to look Papi Grad in the eye through the final turn. The pair spun off three-quarters in 1:24.1 in tandem and remained toe to toe until Looksgoodinloulou began to waver nearing the final eighth. Papi Grad held her ground to the inside and easily thwarted her rival’s push, crossing the line 1-3/4 lengths better than Looksgoodinloulou in a lifetime-best effort.

Faze gave chase for third and Au Jus Hanover (Andy McCarthy) saved ground for fourth.

PAPI GRAD REPLAY

“We’ve been very, very lucky to have a filly like this,” co-owner Jay Mossbarger said after the race. “She’s been good from the start – one of those kind that always did everything right. We’ve got one more start left here and we’re probably going to shut her down. We’ve had enough starts for her this year.”

Never missing the board from nine starts and now a six-time winner, Papi Grad added to a bankroll now worth $262,778 for owners Brent Hopper, Jay Mossbarger, TKO Racing Stable LLC and SCP Stable & Friedland Racing. The filly by Papi Rob Hanover returned $3.18 to win.

Rodeo Drive Deo (Captaintreacherous) (David Miller) delivered as the 6-5 chalk in the first division of the Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Filly Pace with a golden tow to a 1:51 win.

David Miller settled Rodeo Drive Deo into fifth as Accede (Yannick Gingras) slid from post 6 to the top through a :28.1 first quarter. She soon settled for a pocket trip when Bytheliteofthemoon (Dexter Dunn) circled from second to take the lead and up the tempo as the field moved for a :55.4 half. Rodeo Drive Deo tipped from the pylons and caught cover to follow from 12-1 Simply Perfect (Todd McCarthy), but lost ground on her cover rounding the final turn.

Simply Perfect zoomed forward, disposed of Bytheliteofthemoon after three-quarters in 1:23.3 and spun for home on a wide lead as Rodeo Drive Deo began shifting gears to the center of the track. With each stride, Rodeo Drive Deo shifted gears and vaulted forward to zip by Simply Perfect in the last sixteenth and win by two lengths. Simply Perfect held second as Beckoning Yankee (Andy McCarthy) closed ground but just missed in third. Accede circumvented the tiring Bytheliteofthemoon and finished a level fourth.

RODEO DRIVE DEO REPLAY

Rodeo Drive Deo has now won two times from six starts and banked $109,957 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Beasty LLC and J & T Silva—Purnel & Libby. She paid $4.54 to win.

Miki And Minnie (Always B Miki, Dexter Dunn) methodically pounced from a second-over ride to a 1:51 win as the 1-5 favorite in the third division of the Bluegrass filly pace.

Away fourth to a :28 first quarter, Miki And Minnie stayed in position as Sweet Ballad (Yannick Gingras) soon traded the lead for a pocket ride to Champagne Room (Andy McCarthy) moving for a :55.2 half. Dunn looked to tip cover for Miki And Minnie, flushed a ride from Sammy Jo Hanover (Tim Tetrick) heading for the final turn and perched into a striking position heading to three-quarters in 1:23.2.

Dunn sprung Miki And Minnie off the helmet turning for home and spurted away as Duration (Todd McCarthy) made inroads from a third-over trip to snag second, beaten a length. Champagne Room held third another five lengths behind and Sammy Jo Hanover settled for fourth.

MIKI AND MINNIE REPLAY

“She’s getting plenty of wins and is just a good girl,” trainer Chris Ryder said after the race. He then said he’s undecided on whether Miki And Minnie will race next week in the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile, but confirmed she is bound for the Breeders Crown.

Winning her fourth race from eight starts, Miki And Minnie has earned $318,750 for owner-breeders Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz. She paid $2.52 to win.

Odds-on choice Unreasonable (Huntsville, Scott Zeron) ripped home in the final Bluegrass division to notch a 1:51 victory.

Unreasonable raced fourth as Shes A Streaker (Yannick Gingras) carved an early clip of :28 and :55.2, but she received reminders around the final turn as Ronstadt (Todd McCarthy) waited anxiously from a tightening pocket. Ronstadt slipped from the pylons to the outside heading to three-quarters in 1:23.2, giving Unreasonable a helmet to track rounding for home. Zeron then sent the Huntsville filly down the center of the track and seized the lead from a stubborn Shes A Streaker to then hold off a late ground-saving bid by Calamity Hour (Dexter Dunn) by three-quarter lengths.

UNREASONABLE REPLAY

Shes A Streaker lost the photo in the last stride and settled for third while Ronstadt finished an even fourth.

“She’s a really nice filly [and] has a great attitude for a Huntsville,” trainer Erv Miller said after the race. “Most of them get a little carried away with wanting to go too much at the wrong time. We’ve worked on her hard from the start but she’s really manageable and does whatever we want.”

Miller trains Unreasonable for his Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and David J. Miller. She won her third race from seven starts, has now earned $138,550 and paid $2.54 to win.

The first two divisions of the $310,000 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Filly Pace were named “The Beach Glass” and sponsored by the Beach Glass Syndicate and Winbak Farm. The last two divisions were named “The Perfect Sting” and sponsored by Brittany Farms.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile