Chapter Seven colt remains unbeaten with Bluegrass win

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Lucas Wallin trainee Maximus Mearas S (Chapter Seven) made a successful leap into Grand Circuit harness racing company with a facile come-from-behind score in 1:54 to take the second of five divisions of the $387,500 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot at The Red Mile on Thursday afternoon (Sep 26).

Maximus Mearas S (driven by Scott Zeron) landed in fourth as Themoneyisback S (Jim Oscarsson) scampered forward from the pylon post to carry the field by the first quarter in :28.2 and to the half in :56.2. Themoneyisback S started to tire into the final turn, prompting Blue Cartier (David Miller) to pop pocket as a contingent of closers narrowed in to three-quarters, timed in 1:25.4. Maximus Mearas S fanned four wide for the stretch drive and swooped from the pack with the most momentum to grab a half-length win over late-leader Elan Hanover (Todd McCarthy), who settled for second. Blue Cartier finished third another 3-1/2-lengths back and Verse Nine (Andy McCarthy) took fourth.

MAXIMUS MEARAS S REPLAY

Undefeated from three starts, Maximus Mearas S has banked $52,295 for owner Kjell Magne Andersen. The colt by Chapter Seven, out of stakes-winning mare Darling Mearas S, paid $4.46 to win.

Ron Burke pupil Tactical Dynasty (Tactical Landing) returned to the winner’s circle following back-to-back breaks in stride with a 1:54.3 effort in the first Bluegrass division for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings.

Leaving from post 8, Tactical Dynasty (driven by Yannick Gingras) inched forward through an early shuffle and planted onto the point after a :29.3 first quarter, pocketing 1-2 favorite The Rogue Prince (Tim Tetrick). Tactical Dynasty continued on a comfortable lead through a :57.3 and by three-quarters in 1:26.4 as The Rogue Prince waited to make his attack on the leader.

The Rogue Prince pulled outside into the stretch and pressed into Tactical Dynasty, but lost stride through his challenge in the final eighth. Tactical Dynasty continued unfettered and registered a 1-1/4 length win over The Rogue Prince, whose break in the stretch forced his disqualification to fourth. Hey Porter (Dexter Dunn) rallied from last for second through the disqualification and Memento Mori also closed, taking third from the placing.

TACTICAL DYNASTY REPLAY

Tactical Dynasty won his third race from eight starts and has now earned $103,805 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phillip Collura, Lawrence Karr and J & T Silva—Purnel & Libby. He paid $18.70 to win.

Gap Kronos S (Face Time Bourbon) towered over the field in the final eighth of the third Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot to stop the clock in 1:54.3 drawing away.

Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt settled Gap Kronos S into fourth as 7-5 favorite Portobarosso As NL (Andy Miller) attempted to lead from pillar to post, clocking a :27.4 first quarter and a :57.4 half before the backfield came calling. Gimpanzee Dancer (Tim Tetrick) marched first over to the final turn with Gap Kronos S on his back and pressured Portobarosso As NL to three-quarters in 1:26.4.

Portobarosso As NL had no answer to the challenge and Gimpanzee Dancer forged forward in the stretch, but couldn’t clench the lead as Svanstedt sent his charge to the center of the course and glided over the ground to a widening 2-3/4-length win. Gimpanzee Dancer settled for second, Civilian Drone (Scott Zeron) snagged third from a pylon trip and Portobarosso As NL faded to fourth.

“He’s really big, but he can trot,” Svanstedt said after the race. Svanstedt also noted, after the colt warmed up clumsy, that he pulled the back shoes ahead of the colt’s lifetime-best win.

GAP KRONOS S REPLAY

Gap Kronos S collected his second win from five starts and pushed his bankroll to $51,395 for owner Bruni Racing Team Inc. He paid $17.72 to win.

Blank (Gimpanzee, Dexter Dunn) took the win in the fourth Bluegrass colt trot division via disqualification of first-place finisher Go Dog Go (Todd McCarthy), who broke stride and stayed on a gallop crossing the line in the 1:54.3 mile.

Dunn took command with Blank out of post 4 to a :29.2 first quarter and trotted on a comfortable lead to a :58.1 half. Go Dog Go, racing in third, bided his time until hitting the far turn when McCarthy gave him the cue to roll. Go Dog Go pushed past Blank after three-quarters in 1:26.4, and the pair kicked for home by a widening margin from the rest of the field. Go Dog Go tried to stay smooth inside the final eighth but wobbled into a gallop within the last sixteenth and could not return to a trot.

He finished three-quarters of a length in front of Blank at the finish, but was disqualified to fifth for violation of the breaking rule. Monserrate (David Miller) closed and was elevated to second with Channing (Yannick Gingras) third and Onemore Volo (Andy McCarthy) fourth.

BLANK REPLAY

Marcus Melander trains Blank for owners S R F Stable and Holly Land Stud East Ltd. He won his second race from six starts, has now banked $102,650 and paid $13.74 to win.

Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt collected another Bluegrass win with a pillar-to-post job by 4-5 favorite Happy Jack B (Chapter Seven) in the closing split, timed in 1:54.1.

Svanstedt had little problem getting Happy Jack B to the top and was left to cut a sensible tempo of :29, :57.2 and 1:26.3. Durante Hanover (Dexter Dunn) tried to make inroads first over but flattened rounding the bottom corner as Happy Jack B hit the accelerator. The Chapter Seven colt scurried clear of the competition and kept chugging over the line to post a three-length win over Hidalgo (Yannick Gingras), who rallied from second over for second.

HAPPY JACK B REPLAY

Pocket-chaser Mountcastle (Scott Zeron) faded to third and Ketel One Up (Andy McCarthy) came from third over for fourth.

“He has been hustling a little bit in New York on the smaller tracks, but it was nice to see him back on the big track and open him up,” Sarah Svanstedt said after the race. “He was very nice today.”

Happy Jack B won his second race from six starts and has now earned $140,996 for owners B. Nasstrom Holding Inc., Wolfgang A. Stable Inc. and Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing. He paid $3.94 to win.

The first two divisions of the $387,500 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot were named “The Captain Corey” and sponsored by the Captain Corey Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms and the remaining three divisions went under different monikers. Division three was named “The Father Patrick” and sponsored by Al Libfeld Equine, division four went as “The Muscle Mass” sponsored by Kentuckiana Farms and the closing division was named “The What The Hill” sponsored by Harness Racing Update.

Live racing at The Red Mile resumes on Friday (Sept. 27) with six divisions of the $413,900 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Filly Trot and three divisions of the $350,000 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace. First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m. (EDT).

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

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile