Son of Always B Miki brave winning $30,000 Open

OAK GROVE, Ky. — Ron Burke trainee Tip Top Cat again had to muscle through a difficult mile, but the gutsy harness racing son of Always B Miki braved the wide trip and fast fractions to prevail in the $30,000 Open Handicap Pace at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Monday afternoon (April 14).

Leaving from post 2, driver Brandon Bates landed in fourth with Tip Top Cat while Later Dudes (driven by Trace Tetrick) powered three wide for the lead through a :25.4 first quarter.

Later Dudes grabbed the point from This Kit Rocks (Joey Putnam) passing the grandstand first time, at which point a parked He’zzz A Wise Sky (Marcus Miller) forced Bates to flush Tip Top Cat first over on the rim.

Tip Top Cat charged forward after his stablemate into a :54.1 half, but parked while the tempo remained hot up the backstretch.

Later Dudes began to fold to Tip Top Cat, who put a nose in front up the backstretch and kept grinding for the lead. Tip Top Cat crossed to the top moving through three-quarters in 1:21.4 and stayed strong in the last quarter mile as the backfield tried to close in late. Odds-on favorite Saulsbrook Victor (Brett MacDonald), forced off the speed from his wide draw, gave pursuit from a three-wide move around the far turn while Tip Top Cat wrapped the mile 2-3/4 lengths to the good in a 1:50.2 effort. This Kit Rocks emerged from a ground-saving trip for third while He’zzz A Wise Sky took fourth.

TIP TOP CAT REPLAY

A 5-year-old gelding with now 11 wins from 57 starts, Tip Top Cat competes for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Canzone and Larry Karr while adding to his bankroll now worth $500,181. He paid $6.24 to win.

Scorecard Dandy (Sportsmaster) (Marcus Miller) opened a competitive day of racing at Oak Grove with a pillar-to-post score from the pylon draw in the $30,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace. The John Filomeno trainee grabbed the lead through a :27.4 first quarter and rated a sensible middle clip of :56.2 and 1:23.4 before sealing the win by 1-1/2 lengths in a 1:52.2 mile. Dry Creek Princess (Jordan Ross) sat a pocket trip for second while Soft Spot (Brandon Bates) rallied from a second-over tow for third and Yankee B Something (Archie Buford) closed for fourth. Celebrate Me Home (Trace Tetrick), the 1-2 favorite, faded from a first-over push to finish last of the five.

SCORECARD DANDY REPLAY

 

A 7-year-old mare by Sportsmaster, Scorecard Dandy has now won 28 races from 110 starts and earned $421,906. She races for owners Green Acres LLC and Mike Klimas and paid $10.74 to win.

Racing continues at Oak Grove on Tuesday (April 15) with a 12-race card headlined by the $30,000 Open Trot, carded as Race 9. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:45 p.m. (CDT). For more information on Oak Grove, visit oakgrovegaming.com.

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

from Oak Grove Racing Publicity