Sippinonsearoc seeks redemption in Lexington

Lexington, KY — From Sunday (Sept. 1) through Tuesday (Sept. 3) The Red Mile offers $807,000 in purse money from harness racing stakes action and six $80,000 fourth round legs of Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series events for freshman and sophomores of both gaits and sexes.

Sunday evening’s first sire stakes contest is for 2-year-old male trotters. Chat Room (Chapter Seven-Fatima Blush) with driver Yannick Gingras are the 6-5 morning line favorite. Trained by John Butenschoen, the gelding sports a record of 6-3-2-0 and has banked $90,280.

Chat Room has captured three of his last four starts and enters of a lifetime best triumph in 1:56 in the third leg of this series. He and his pilot will leave from post position five in the field of seven.

The gelding was bred by Marvin Katz, Sam Goldband and Al Libfeld. He was purchased for $47,000 at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale by James Crawford IV, Charles Rowe, David Miller and Lawrence Means.

Sunday’s other $80,000 sire stakes division is the fourth leg for freshman filly pacers. Two undefeated young ladies place their unblemished records on the line in Looksgoodinloulou and Ascendance.

Looksgoodinloulou (Sweet Lou and world champion Looksgoodinaromper) and Gingras drew post position 10 in the field of 10 for trainer Ron Burke. She has displayed considerable talent in each of two pari-mutuel miles. The filly set her lifetime best of 1:50.2 in the third leg of this series and has earned $80,000 in her brief career.

Looksgoodinloulou competes as a homebred for her conditioner’s racing stable and Weaver Bruscemi. She is 2-1 on the morning line.

Ascendance (Captaintreacherous-Higher And Higher) with driver Scott Zeron makes her Bluegrass debut after capturing two Kindergarten Series legs in June and July. She is a half-sister to Highalator (Somebeachsomewhere, $675,764) and South Beach Star (Somebeachsomewhere, $467,465).

The filly’s dam is a world champion who competed against the likes of dual Dan Patch Award winner See You At Peelers.

Ascendance was bred by Steve Stewart, Conquest Stables Lp and David Schmucker Jr. She was purchased for $260,000 by Jablonsky Held Stable, Joe Sbrocco, Bill Elliott and In The Gym Partners for $260,000 at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.

Trained by Linda Toscano, Ascendance will begin pacing from post position seven and is 7-2 on the morning line.

Monday’s first sire stakes race for 3-year-old pacing fillies shines the spotlight on Date Night Hanover (Chapter Seven-Don’t Wait Up) with driver Dexter Dunn. She seeks her third consecutive victory and third in this series since a break in stride in the $525,000 Hambletonian Oaks.

Date Night Hanover set her lifetime mark of 1:51.2 in the second leg and equaled it in the third leg of this series. The Kentucky champion will leave from post position five in the field of eight.

She is trained by Marcus Melander and is 2-1 on the morning line.

Date Night Hanover has amassed $511,109 in purse money and her resume stands at 22-7-0-5. She was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms and was the sales topper ($600,000) at the 2022 Standardbred Horse Sale. The filly is owned by Jeffrey Snyder and ONDA Racing Stable.

The second sire stakes division on Monday afternoon is the fourth leg for sophomore male pacers. Women Layer (Sweet Lou-Loreenas Ruffian) and driver Todd McCarthy steps up in class after winning the first three $30,000 legs of the Commonwealth Series.

The only occasion he has tasted defeat in 10 trips to the gate this season was a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Sire Stakes conducted at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel behind Kentucky champion Better Is Nice, (Andrew McCarthy) who is also in this field of nine.

Women Layer will begin pacing from post position six and is 7-2 on the morning line.

The gelding was winless in four starts as a 2-year-old and has collected $123,904 in purse money.

Women Layer was bred by Carl Howard. He is the second foal out of his dam, who earned $135,382 on the racetrack, and went through the 2022 Lexington Selected Sales ring for $72,000.

The gelding is owned by Howard Taylor, Order By Stable AB and Judith Taylor.

Tuesday’s first sire stakes event features the rubber match between Sippinonsearoc (Downbytheseaside), the fastest freshman in the history of the sport, and the only horse to defeat him, Louprint. Gingras will be at the controls for Sippinonsearoc, while Louprint will have the services of Ronnie Wrenn Jr. Both 2-year-old male pacers hail from the Burke barn.

Louprint, a son of Sweet Lou-Rockin Racer, drew the rail in the compact field of six and established his lifetime mark of 1:49.1 in the third leg of this series.

The colt’s resume is 5-4-1-0 with his sole defeat at the hooves of Sippinonsearoc in the second leg of sire stakes action by a neck.

Louprint competes as a homebred for Burke Racing Stables, Weaver Bruscemi and Phillip Collura. He has banked $119,864.

The colt’s dam earned $157,964 and the daughter of standout Indiana stallion Rockin Image. Louprint is Rockin Racer’s first foal and she is a full sibling to Undertaker (Rockin Image, $419,269), Noah Z Tam ($226,182), Sun Chip ($125,043) and Oh So Smooth ($105,469). Her half-brother Tellmeaboutit (Tellitlikeitis, $953,025) is an Indiana champion.

Sippinonsearoc seeks redemption from his fourth-place finish in the third leg after his scintillating 1:48.2 world record mile in the second leg of this series. The son of Downbytheseaside- Queen Anne M will leave from post position three.

The colt’s record is now 5-4-0-0 and he has earned $116,400.

Sippinonsearoc is the second foal out of his dam, who earned $374,337 and was an Ohio champion. He was bred by Trent Stohler and Alesha Binkley and purchased for $77,000 at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.

The colt is owned by Ron Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, R A S Racing and Knox Services.

When Luna Lovegood (Dexter Dunn) stays flat, excellent things happen. The daughter of Gimpanzee-Southwind Venus set her lifetime mark of 1:51.4 in the third leg of this series and will seek to make it two consecutive victories for the first time in her career on Tuesday in the sire stakes division for 2-year-old trotting fillies.

Dunn and his charge will leave from post position five in the field of nine and as of this article morning line odds had not been established, but the filly will likely be the favorite or close to it in this race.

Trained by Marcus Melander, Luna Lovegood was bred by Blue Chip Farms and Stefan Melander. She was purchased from last year’s Standardbred Horse Sale for $100,000 under the name Witness Blue Chip by Holly Lane Stud East LTD.

The filly is a half-sibling to Miss I LA (Walner, $284,988), who won an $86,000 division of the International Stallion Stake in 2023 and was fourth in the $525,000 Hambletonian Oaks final.

After a costly miscue in the second leg of this series, Luna Lovegood improved her record to 3-2-0 and her bankroll stands at $80,000. She won the first leg of this series in her first career start.

First post on Sunday at The Red Mile is 5:05 p.m. On Monday and Tuesday, the first race begins at 1 p.m.

To receive free program pages to handicap the track with the lowest takeout in the sport, visit here.

by Kimberly French, for The Red Mile