Metro Pace winner sets sights on Stallion Stakes

Hightstown, NJ — Fallout is heading to Saturday’s International Stallion Stakes at Lexington’s Red Mile with a spring in his harness racing step, which pretty much mirrors the way the Metro Pace winner’s connections are feeling as well.

Two weeks ago, Fallout captured the Metro Pace with a 1:49.1 performance that equaled the fastest mile by a 2-year-old in Woodbine Mohawk Park history. The victory followed the colt’s 1:49.3 triumph in his elimination the previous week, all of which helped push him to the top of the earnings standings among freshman male pacers with $436,600.

On Saturday, the son of Captaintreacherous-Aria Hanover returns to action in the third of three $100,300 divisions of the International Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old male pacers. He will leave from post four in a field of nine with Tim Tetrick in the sulky for trainer Tony Alagna. He is the 8-5 morning-line favorite.

Fallout was purchased under the name Aye Aye Hanover for $250,000 at last fall’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. He is a full brother to millionaire Blue Diamond Eyes and Grand Circuit winner Captain Kirk. His family also includes O’Brien Award-winner Caviart Ally and Grand Circuit winners All Speed Hanover, JJ Flynn, and Air Force Hanover.

“We’ve thought he was a top colt since he started training down,” LeBlanc said. “I remember going to Tony’s farm back in December and watching the babies. He always wanted to go. All through the winter, he looked like he was one of the best colts that Tony had, certainly the best one that I had.

“So, we had high expectations for him. He comes from a very good family. We’re obviously super pleased with him right now. Hopefully, he keeps up. But he keeps getting better every race. I don’t think people realize that after he won the Metro, that’s five consecutive races that he’s gone in 1:49. He just keeps getting better and better.”

Only eight 2-year-old male pacers in history have gone faster than 1:49.1, and Fallout faced two of them — Sippinonsearoc and Louprint — in the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series prior to going to Canada for the Metro Pace. In one of those encounters, Fallout finished second when Sippinonsearoc went the fastest mile ever for a freshman, 1:48.2 on Aug. 13 at the Red Mile.

Fallout has hit the board in six of eight races this season, winning three. He began his career with a 1:52.1 victory in a division of the Kindergarten Classic Series at The Meadowlands, then missed by a nose in his next start in a conditioned race for 2-year-olds at the Big M. In both those starts, Fallout went straight to the lead, but since then he’s raced either from the pocket or farther off the front.

In the Metro Pace final, Fallout was fourth on the last turn before being asked to go by Tetrick. He came home in :26.1 to win by one length.

“In the early days, we always put him on the front because he does have the speed,” LeBlanc said. “But bringing him from the back off a helmet I think has really helped him mature. He’s definitely better off a helmet. When you ask him to go, he knows what to do.

“He raced super (in the Metro). Timmy put him in a perfect position, and when Timmy asked him to go, he just exploded. We were very, very happy.”

In Saturday’s remaining two International Stallion Stakes divisions, the aforementioned Louprint is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the first while American Son gets the 2-1 nod in the second.

Louprint, trained by Ron Burke and driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr., has six wins and a second in seven starts. The speedy son of Sweet Lou-Rockin Racer has a mark of 1:48.4 and is the only 2-year-old pacer in history to win three times in 1:49.1 or faster. He heads to Saturday’s start off a triumph in the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series final on Sept. 15 at the Red Mile.

American Son, trained by Chris Ryder and driven by Dexter Dunn, has hit the board in all six of his races, winning three. The son of American Ideal-Lady Captain finished third in the KYSS Championship Series final.

Saturday’s Red Mile card also features five divisions of the International Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old female trotters. For more on the complete card, click here.

Action begins at 1 p.m. (EDT) at the Red Mile. To view Saturday’s entries, click here. Free daily programs can be found at the track’s website here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA