Dexter Dunn handles it like a Porsche at Red Mile

LEXINGTON, KY — Of the three harness racing divisions for the $327,000 Stay Hungry Bluegrass Stakes — for freshman pacing colts and geldings — at The Red Mile on Friday afternoon (Sep. 30), two were won in decisive fashion.

Handlelikeaporsche (Lazarus N) visited the winner’s circle with an in-hand 8-1/4-length romp in the second $109,000 Stay Hungry division.

Floating off the wings from post 8, driver Dexter Dunn failed to secure a position at the pylons into the first turn, so he pushed forward with Handlelikeaporsche into a :28.1 first quarter and grabbed the lead in the backstretch.

The Lazarus N colt cruised by a :56.2 half and separated from his rivals as Dunn shifted gear with his charge to click three-quarters in 1:23.3. With the engines revved for home, Handlelikeaporsche rolled to the finish widening his lead to the end of a 1:50.2 mile as Gung Ho closed for second with It’s My Show third and Mac’s Delight fourth.

HANDLELIKEAPORSCHE REPLAY

Chris Ryder trains and co-owns Handlelikeaporsche with William Ezzo, Robert Mondillo and Barry Spak. The colt collected his second win from five starts and padded his bankroll to $179,000. He paid $4.46 to win.

First with a knockout blow was Lyons Surfing (Stay Hungry), who slipped out of the pocket when the outer tier jumped and sailed to the finish a 5-1/4-length winner.

American Fling fired for the front to a :28 first quarter with Lyons Surfing protecting position from the pylons to sit second and Cannibal racing third. Bamboozler, the 2-1 favorite, flushed cover from Blue Lou into a :56 half but started to sputter around the final turn as Blue Lou pressed American Fling.

The leading pair clicked three-quarters in 1:23.3 while Bamboozler jumped and broke Ervin Hanover’s stride coming for home. But that incident opened a wide-enough seam for Lyons Surfing to peel out and power home to a 1:50.1 victory with Cannibal giving chase in second. Ervin Hanover recovered stride to finish third, beaten another three lengths, with American Fling fourth.

“He’s been very likeable all along,” trainer Jim King Jr. said after the race. “[He] hasn’t always done quite as much as I thought he should, but he’s been getting better and better. We like him. [Tim] said ‘This is what we’ve been looking for. He’s okay.’”

LYONS SURFING REPLAY

Lyons Surfing competes for owner Threelyonsracing. The colt grabbed his fourth win from eight starts and added to his account now worth $163,587. He paid $7.66 to win.

Ryder returned to the winner’s circle in the final Stay Hungry split when Admiral Hill (Sweet Lou) survived on the lead to post a 1:50.4 victory.

Driver Dexter Dunn sent Admiral Hill to the lead but let Christchurch clear to a :27.4 first quarter before moving back to the lead. Snapping a half in :55.3, Admiral Hill attempted to snag a breather around the far turn while Mamba led the overland charge to three-quarters in 1:23.4.

The field towered behind Admiral Hill straightening for the finish, but he staved off all challengers to score a 1-1/4-length win over Mamba. Lousain Bolt closed for third and Stay Grounded settled for fourth.

“I guess we [classified him] pretty right with this fellow,” Chris Ryder said after the race on starting Admiral Hill in the Kentucky Golden Rod Series, in which he won the $50,000 final by seven lengths in 1:50. “We started at the bottom because he was a slow developer. I knew he had some talent, but he wasn’t showing us much and the experience did him a world of good. He just keeps getting better.”

ADMIRAL HILL REPLAY

A homebred, owned and bred by Tom Hill, Admiral Hill won his third race from six starts and has now earned $98,250. He returned $4.10 to win.

Each division of the Stay Hungry Bluegrass Stakes was sponsored by the Stay Hungry Syndicate and Hanover Shore Farms.

For complete race results, click here.

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile