Newsroom heads $348,000 Bluegrass Stakes Friday

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Trainer Joe Holloway returns to The Red Mile with another promising pacing prospect on Friday afternoon (Sept. 29): the colt Newsroom (Always B Miki), who will try to raise his unbeaten streak to seven is in the third of four harness racing divisions of the $348,000 Bluegrass for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

Newsroom starts from post 2 in Race 11 on Friday off a 1:51.4 victory in the $116,000 Elevation Pace at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. He’s already taken a mark of 1:49.4 when winning the start prior in a steamroll mile to take the $150,000 New Jersey Classic by open lengths. Eight other foes will look to upend Newsroom, including Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champ Captain Albano from post 3 for trainer Noel Daley as well as Tony Alagna pupil Remember The Alamo, who exits a sixth-place finish in the $717,800 Metro Pace.

Kentucky Sires Stakes champ Better Is Nice (Bettor’s Wish) and driver Andy McCarthy will look to open the stakes action for the pacing freshmen when he starts from post 2 in Race 3. Listed at 9-5 on the morning line, he is trained by Tony Alagna enters from a 1:50.3 coast job in the $400,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes final and faces only one familiar rival in Dancin Champion, starting from post 3 off a fourth-place effort. The field also includes Tall Dark Strangers full brother Total Stranger from post 4 along with New York Sires Stakes final runner-up Avenger Force from post 5.

Ivy Park (Captaintreacherous), runner-up to Better Is Nice in the Kentucky Sires Stakes final, lands post 5 in the third Bluegrass division – Race 7 – for the boys as the 5-2 choice on the morning line. The Nancy Takter-trained colt keeps Yannick Gingras in the sulky as he’ll spar with the likes of Arson, the Kentucky Golden Rod champ and a three-quarter brother to sophomore stakes filly Charleston. The Kentucky Commonwealth champ Sir John B, trained by Tony Alagna and reined by Andy McCarthy, also lands in the third division and starts from post 6.

A batch of nine rounds the action for freshman pacing colts and geldings in Race 13. Tony Alagna pupil Rock The Captain N (Captaintreacherous) goes as the slight morning-line favorite from post 4 with Todd McCarthy in the bike. The ridgling has only missed the board once from six starts and won a preliminary for the Kindergarten Classic back on July 28 in 1:52. The field also includes Kentucky Golden Rod runner-up Steely Knife from post 9 and Kentucky Commonwealth third-place finisher Swaggy Cal from post 5 among others.

Freshman trotting fillies share the spotlight on Friday with five divisions for the $429,000 Norman Woolworth Memorial Bluegrass Stakes.

The card Friday kicks off a bundle of seven trotting fillies going to post. Chaparmbro (Chapter Seven) starts as the 9-5 choice from post 2 for the tandem of trainer Trond Smedshammer and driver Brian Sears off a close defeat in the $150,000 New Jersey Classic final to Soiree Hanover. She will try to return to the winner’s circle against the likes of New Jersey Classic consolation runner-up Glamorous Hanover from post 3, Kentucky Commonwealth third-place finisher One World from post 1 and New Jersey Classic consolation third-place finisher Cocktailwithakick from post 6.

Division two for the Norman Woolworth wraps the early daily double with eight fillies competing. Ake Svanstedt student Warrawee Michelle (Walner) will attempt to rebound from a fourth-place finish to Soiree Hanover in the New Jersey Classic final when she starts from post 6, just to the inside of Tony Alagna upstart Honey’s Sweet. Honey’s Sweet makes her fourth start and currently holds a mark of 1:54.1 over the clay set in a non-winners of one event on Aug. 22. Yannick Gingras has the drive in a group that also includes 2022 Hambletonian winner Cool Papa Bell’s half-sister Cool Ma Belle from post 4.

New Jersey Sires Stakes champ Buy A Round (Walner) will also look for vengeance off a loss to Soiree Hanover when she starts from post 2 in the third division of the Norman Woolworth, carded as Race 4. Andy McCarthy pilots the Noel Daley-trained Buy A Round, who snagged a 1:55 victory on Hambletonian Day in the New Jersey Sires Stakes final, but more recently finished third in the $150,000 New Jersey Classic. She’ll face morning-line chalk Sierra Girl (Bar Hopping) starting from post 4 for trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt off a 1:55.4 victory as the odds-on choice in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final.

Svanstedt has another developing talent in division four, Race 8, with undefeated French Champagne (Muscle Hill). She has ripped off five-straight wins in progress to a 1:54.1 win in the $100,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Final. She lands post 6 against Kentucky Sires Stakes champ Date Night Hanover, who starts from post 4 in rein to Brian Sears for trainer Marcus Melander.

Race 12 wraps the Norman Woolworth Memorial with eight going to gate. Melanie Wrenn trainee Bonn (Tactical Landing) starts from post 8 as the 2-1 morning line favorite off a fourth-place finish in the $266,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes in rein to Peter Wrenn, who has the drive on Friday. She squares against seven others looking to breakthrough including Dustin Jones pupil Draw The Line, who was fifth in the $314,500 Peaceful Way and fourth in a $66,065 Champlain division, as well as Green Mercedes, the fourth-place finisher in the Golden Rod Series final, from post 1.

Three of the four divisions of the Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace go as “The Stay Hungry”, sponsored by the Stay Hungry Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. Race 11, the third of the four divisions, is named “The Arlene Siegel Memorial Race” and is sponsored by Jules Siegel and Fashion Farms.

Each division of the Norman Woolworth Memorial is presented by Arden Homestead Stable, ET Gerry and Peter Gerry, Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg, Stoner Manor Inc., Menhammer Stuteri AB, Jorgen Jahre Jr., LST Stables, Lawrence DeVan and William DeVan.

Friday’s card features 14 races total beginning at 1 p.m. (EDT). The Red Mile offers a $5,000 guarantee on the Pick-5 pool, starting in Race 3, and a $10,000 guarantee in the Pick-4 pool starting in Race 6. Both the Pick 5 and Pick 4s feature an industry-low 12-percent takeout.

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

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile