Branded By Lindy on top in International Stallion Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Sent the odds-on choice, Branded By Lindy lunged by his competition, including Peter Haughton champ King Of The North, to post a 1:53.2 harness racing victory in taking the first of four divisions for the $302,000 Six Pack International Stallion Stake 2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot on Friday (Oct. 8) at The Red Mile.

Branded By Lindy          -Amanda Stephens Photo

Letsdoit S shot for the lead to a :28.4 first quarter while the two favorites lagged behind the leaders in a positional stalemate that eventually settled with King Of The North fronting Branded By Lindy towards the back. The pair recouped lost ground to a :56.3 half, where driver Yannick Gingras flushed cover for Branded By Lindy from King Of The North and rode a steady tow towards the front around the final turn.

Gigondas circled to lead the field into the final turn and maintained control to three-quarters in 1:26.1 with King Of The North gradually gaining on the outside. Though Gingras angled Branded By Lindy to the center of the course off the turn and promptly surged by his competition to win by a length past the beam. Letsdoit S shot through an opening at the pylons for second while King Of The North settled for third and Gigondas faded to fourth.

“He’s like racing a 4-year-old really,” Gingras said after the race. “He’s really mature and you can do whatever you want with him. He’s obviously got the ability, the speed, but just being able to race him any which way you want, that’s what makes him so strong. He had more too left.

“Mark [MacDonald and King Of The North] was backing up to try to get me in front of him, but that wasn’t going to happen,” Gingras also said. “But it wasn’t going to happen. I wanted to follow him. He’s a great horse, King Of The North, and I figured he’d get me where I need to go. I was just hoping to be a couple lengths off at the top of the stretch and I thought he could get the job done from there. Like I said, I’m really impressed by him, I trusted him and he got the job done easily.”

Winning his seventh race from nine starts, Branded By Lindy has banked $143,350 for owner-breeder Lindy Farms of Connecticut. Domenico Cecere trains the son of Chapter Seven who paid $3.80 to win.

Several of the top betting interests in the second split of the Six Pack went on gallops, but World At War Deo stayed flat and in a striking spot to pounce and score in a 1:54.1 mile.

World At War Deo     –Amanda Stephens Photo

Keg Stand kicked off the car and quickly jumped off stride to the first turn while Rose Run Xtra slotted in behind early leader World At War Deo. Rose Run Xtra then moved for the lead through a :28 first quarter as Stride The Hill broke stride from fourth. He led unchallenged through a :56.4 half while Tachyon tipped first over and carried Classic Hill second over to the final turn.

Rose Run Xtra’s advantage narrowed to three-quarters in 1:26.2 as Tachyon upped the pressure and Classic Hill fanned off cover before he then broke stride through the stretch. Tachyon took over a short lead as Rose Run Xtra drifted and faded between horses, but World At War Deo shot through the developed gap to the inside and coasted to a length victory over closing Majestic J to the finish. Tachyon took third and Rose Run Xtra settled for fourth.

Owned by Steve Heimbecker, Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc., Michael Guerriero and Menary Racing Inc., World At War Deo collected his fourth win from 10 starts, earning $97,697. Dave Menary trains the son of Chapter Seven who returned $10 to win.

Rebuff rolled off a helmet to a comfortable 1-1/2-length victory in the third split of the Six Pack as the odds-on choice in a 1:52.2 effort.

Rebuff   -Amanda Stephens Photo

Periculum pushed for the front to a :28.3 first quarter with Villain sitting the pocket and Fast As The Wind in third. Rebuff raced fifth to the backside and managed to grab cover from Pretender to a :56.1 half, ranging to within two lengths of the lead to three-quarters in 1:24.2. Driver Tim Tetrick launched Rebuff off cover at the bottom of the turn and darted to the lead as Periculum scooted up the pylons to give pursuit through the final eighth, though settling for second to the finish. Global Pandemic rallied for third and Pretender held fourth.

Co-owned by trainer Lucas Wallin with Kjell Andersen and Pieter Delis, Rebuff won his second race from nine starts, earning $131,595. The Muscle Hill colt paid $3.60 to win.

The final split of the Six Pack went to Temporal Hanover, who tipped out of the pocket and cruised home a 1:53.2 winner.

Grabbing command to a :29 first quarter, Temporal Hanover yielded control up the backside to 1-5 favorite Slay, who then took the field to the half in :56.4. Temporal Hanover stayed put until the bottom of the final bend when driver Brian Sears inched the Walner colt out of second by three-quarters in 1:25.3 and swiftly put away Slay through the straightaway. B A Superhero took second in a photo with Slay, beaten 4-1/4 lengths, with Golden Wall As finishing third.

“He’s been racing well all year,” trainer Marcus Melander said after the race. “He was a little bit sick in the final of the William Wellwood, but he’s always showed up.”

Temporal Hanover    -Amanda Stephens Photo

Owned by AMG Stable Inc., Kenneth Kjellgren, Rick Wahlstedt and Heights Stable, Temporal Hanover won his fifth race from 10 starts, earning $198,666. He paid $8.80 to win.

Each division of the Six Pack International Stallion Stakes was sponsored by the Six Pack Syndicate and Deo Volente Farms.

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By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile