Post-position tests Sunday in Kentucky Futurities

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Hambletonian champ Karl (Tactical Landing) and Kentucky Championship Series winner Date Night Hanover (Chapter Seven) will attempt to overcome their draws as the morning-line harness racing favorites in the $500,000 Kentucky Futurity and $301,550 Kentucky Filly Futurity, respectively, on Sunday (Oct. 6) at The Red Mile.

Karl, anointed the 6-5 chalk, drew the lone slot in the second tier and will trail 10 rivals behind the starting gate in the 132nd Kentucky Futurity. The Nancy Takter-trained colt, with just over $2 million on his card, makes his first appearance since suffering only his third defeat from 21 starts in the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final, where he was upended in the closing strides by a pylon-skimming Dame Good Time (racing from post 2 in the Futurity) in a 1:50.2 mile. Yannick Gingras will drive Karl from the trailing spot.

The field of 11 for the Kentucky Futurity has lured several high-status foes looking to down Karl, including Hambletonian runner-up Highland Kismet from post 3. The Mark Etsell-trained Father Patrick gelding adds hopples back onto his loadout following a facile 1:55.1 win in a Bluegrass division over a sloppy track last Saturday. Bob McClure sits in the bike and will start just to the inside of Ake Svanstedt pupil Amazing Catch, who capitalized on Highland Kismet’s break in stride in the $527,620 Canadian Trotting Classic to pull a 19-1 upset in 1:51.4.

James MacDonald acquires the drive on the Walner colt who is just one of a three-pronged Svanstedt charge in the Futurity, which includes New Jersey Classic winner Tony Adams S from post 6 and Mr Bluebird from post 7.

Meanwhile, 3-1 morning-line favorite Date Night Hanover will have to deal with the outermost post in the 11-horse field for the 59th Kentucky Filly Futurity. Dexter Dunn drives the Marcus Melander-trained filly out of post 10 following a 1:55 victory under wraps in a Bluegrass division last Saturday. The Zweig Filly Trot champ also faced an outside post in the $525,000 Hambletonian Oaks earlier this year, in which she made a furious rally at the pylons before hooking wheels and breaking stride to finish ninth.

Date Night Hanover is only the slight choice inside the Kentucky Filly Futurity, which also attracts Hambletonian Oaks winner Warrawee Michelle from post 7, Hambletonian Oaks runner-up Buy A Round from post 3, 2023 Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year Soiree Hanover from post 9 and Elegantimage winner French Champagne from post 11 among the entrants.

Pacing glamour boys will spar earlier on the card in a pair of divisions for the $422,000 Tattersalls Pace. Division one pins Kentucky Championship Series winner Better Is Nice against Anthony Beaton’s dynamo Huntsville colt Legendary Hanover, himself looking for his first visit to the winner’s circle since Aug. 25. Andy McCarthy pilots Better Is Nice, a Tony Alagna-trained Bettor’s Wish colt, off a gutsy 1:53.1 first-over push in a Bluegrass division. He starts from post 6, just to the inside of Legendary Hanover, in a group that also includes 2023 Metro Pace winner Captain’s Quarters from post 3 and Little Brown Jug runner-up Mirage Hanover from post 5.

Division two of the Tattersalls will see whether Steely Knife can build off his 12-1 Bluegrass upset last week when he starts from post 2 in the field of seven. Yannick Gingras gets the drive on the Ron Burke-trained colt by Always B Miki against a bunch that features Women Layer, runner-up to Better Is Nice in a Bluegrass division last Saturday; Mccrunch, runner-up to Steely Knife in the Bluegrass; and Captain Luke, a Tony Alagna-trained colt by Captaintreacherous looking to add to his resume which includes a 1:50.1 win in the $200,000 Max Hempt Memorial Consolation.

The $233,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial, the filly counterpart to the Tattersalls, also features two divisions on the Sunday card. Rocket Deo, a 1:51.4 winner over My Girl EJ in a Bluegrass division last week, matches up against Jugette champ Soft Shot and another Bluegrass winner in Disney in the first division. Division two features My Girl EJ looking to make amends from a runner-up finish from post 1 as she faces seven rivals including Kentucky Championship Series winner Direction.

Sunday’s card also features each sex and gait of older Standardbred in the Allerage Farms Stakes. A quintet opens the card in the $69,500 Allerage Mare Trot and features a powerful Svanstedt duo in Call Me Goo, winner of the $170,090 Armbro Flight earlier this season when with trainer Jason Skinner, and Nelsonbriteagle NO, entering off a 1:52.3 romp in the $90,000 Miss Versatility final at Delaware, Ohio. Ake Svanstedt will pilot Call Me Goo from post 2 while Dexter Dunn retains the assignment on Nelsonbriteagle NO from post 5.

Dayton Trotting Derby winner Logan Park will contend from post 5 against Maple Leaf Trot champ Periculum from post 2 in the $153,000 Allerage Open Trot. Dexter Dunn stays with Logan Park, a 6-year-old Archangel gelding, for trainer Robert Fellows while Scott Zeron pilots Periculum, a 5-year-old Muscle Hill stallion, for trainer Marcus Melander.

Sylvia Hanover escapes Twin B Joe Fresh in the $65,500 Allerage Mares Pace. The 4-year-old Always B Miki mare lands post 1 in the sextet and will have Bob McClure in the bike for trainer Mark Steacy.

The penultimate race to the Grand Circuit meet is the $159,000 Allerage Open Pace, which gathers 10 with nearly $10 million in collective earnings. Abuckabett Hanover earns slight favoritism as the 5-2 morning-line choice off a 1:49.3 victory in the Dayton Pacing Derby last Saturday and will have Dexter Dunn in the bike for trainer Andrew Harris.

The field also includes Midwest millionaire Little Rocket Man, who keeps David Miller in the sulky from post 5 for trainer Ken Rucker, and double-millioniare Bythemissal, who has Yannick Gingras in the bike for trainer Ron Burke as the 5-year-old Downbytheseaside gelding looks to continue in his return from a three-month layoff out of post 10.

Sunday’s card will conclude the 2024 Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile and features 12 races on the program. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile