Sound Judgement fights best in ISS upset

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Sound Judgement scored a 39-1 blow on 4-5 favorite Deja Blu in the closing strides to win the second harness racing division of five divisions for the $342,000 International Stallion Stakes (ISS) for 2-year-old trotting fillies on Saturday (Oct. 5) at The Red Mile.

Driver Todd McCarthy motored Sound Judgement (Muscle Hill) towards the lead and cut a :28.2 first quarter as Deja Blu (driven by Yannick Gingras) loomed to the outside and moved for the lead. Deja Blu coasted to a :56.1 half and remained under a snug hold through the final turn to clock three-quarters in 1:24.2. Sound Judgement pulled outside for the stretch drive and intensified pressure on Deja Blu as the two scurried well clear of the competition into the final eighth. Deja Blu kept fighting but grew weary in the final strides while Sound Judgement held her momentum and slid by to a head victory at the beam in 1:52. What A Bid Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) closed for third and R Charm (Scott Zeron) finished fourth after mounting a mild first-over bid in the final turn.

“She raced good from the beginning at Oak Grove,” trainer Jim Oscarsson said after the race. “She came up here, got a little sick and raced a little bad. But after we fixed her up a little bit, she trained good, so I thought she should be in the race.”

A daughter of Muscle Hill, Sound Judgement won her second race from eight starts and has now earned $69,100 for owner Blomberg Stable Inc. She paid $81.58 to win.

SOUND JUDGEMENT REPLAY

Champagne Problems (Dexter Dunn) gallivanted over the track as the 1-5 chalk to win the first division of the ISS filly trot in 1:53.

Leaving from the pylon post, Champagne Problems seized the lead to a :28.1 first quarter and faced nary an anxious moment through the mile. She sped up the backside to a :55.3 half and snagged a breather to three-quarters in 1:24.1 before spurting away from her competition in the stretch. Champagne Problems crossed the beam 3-1/4 lengths better than Santa Caterina (Ake Svanstedt) closing for second with Ms Prada (David Miller) rallying for third, another four lengths behind, and Royal Mission (Scott Zeron) fading off a pocket trip for fourth.

“She’s having a great season,” Dunn said after the race. “She hasn’t done much wrong this whole prep and has been putting in good performances.”

Winning her fifth race from eight starts, Champagne Problems has now banked $361,704 for owners Rojan Stables, Family Business, Patrick Hoopes and Caviart Farms. Nancy Takter trains the Tactical Landing filly who paid $2.66 to win.

CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS REPLAY

R Dutchess (Jody Jamieson) made a bold brush to the lead up the backside and held strong through a swift middle half to win the third division of the ISS filly trot in 1:52.1.

Luna Lovegood (Dexter Dunn), the even-money favorite, cleared the lead moving through a :28 first quarter while Jamieson settled R Dutchess into fourth. Though the tempo quickened up the backside, Jamieson angled R Dutchess off the pegs and fired forward to take the lead just after a :55.1 half. Jamieson stayed on the pedal through the final turn to zip by three-quarters in 1:22.4 and lead the field into the attritional stretch drive. R Dutchess plodded along on the lead with challengers encroaching all around, but the filly stayed resolute to hold a head in front and stave off Luna Lovegood in second. Miss Belmear (Andy McCarthy) bolted from last to take third and Delaney Hanover (Todd McCarthy) finished evenly in fourth.

“I was a little nervous, but we trained her the other day with R Melina and they were fighting all the way down the stretch,” trainer John Butenschoen said after the race. “I thought ‘If she can fight off that little girl; we know what type of horse she is.’ I was pretty confident she was gutty and it worked out.”

R DUTCHESS REPLAY

Leased by M&L of Delaware LLC, R Dutchess won her third race from eight starts and has now earned $104,319. The Father Patrick filly paid $10.66 to win.

Todd McCarthy planted Aperfect Annie on the point and held firm to the finish of a 1:53 mile to win the fourth division of the ISS filly trot.

Aperfect Annie marched forward on the rim to take the lead after a :28.2 first quarter and strolled up the backside to a :56.3 half. Voguish (Andy McCarthy) pulled first over from fourth and advanced to challenge Aperfect Annie through the final turn, but folded in her bid after three-quarters in 1:25.1. Aperfect Annie stayed to task through the lane to register a simple length win over 4-5 favorite Pink Chou Chou (Yannick Gingras), who sat a pocket trip and gave futile pursuit in second. Sonmar Pond (Scott Zeron) rallied from third over for third and Divine Thing (Tim Tetrick) took fourth off a second-over trip.

“She’s been a pretty solid filly all year,” trainer Carter Pinske said after the race. “She likes The Red Mile, and when you can win on Grand Circuit week it’s always a bonus. Props to the filly; she’s a real nice filly. I was a bit worried with missing a week – we haven’t had much work into her. But she shows up every time she goes behind the car.”

APERFECT ANNIE REPLAY

A filly by Googoo Gaagaa, Aperfect Annie won her third race from eight starts and has now earned $337,200 for owners Pinske Stables, Melvin Hartman and Andray Farm. She paid $7.50 to win.

Spicy Nice (Andy McCarthy) catapulted to the lead in a soft third quarter to scoot away with ample cushion and win the closing ISS division for trotting fillies in 1:53.

Country Victory (Yannick Gingras) took the lead to a :27.3 first quarter but yielded control up the backside to even-money choice Lady Landia (Ake Svanstedt), who led the field by the half in :55.4. Lady Landia slowed through the final turn, providing Andy McCarthy the opportunity to shoot forward from fifth with Spicy Nice and recoup nearly five lengths on the move to three-quarters in 1:25.1. Spicy Nice easily rolled to the lead and away to a 3-3/4-length victory as Lady Landia tried to accelerate off the bottom corner but only held second. Caviart Ivy (Niko Karna) closed for third, another four lengths behind, and Country Victory faded to fourth.

SPICEY NICE REPLAY

“[The hopples] probably gave her a little bit of confidence,” Andy McCarthy said after the race. “She started the year out really well. She’s a very nice filly, I just think she’s going to make a great 3-year-old.”

Nancy Takter trains Spicy Nice, a filly by Tactical Landing, for owners Morrison Racing Stables and John Fielding. The filly won her second race from eight starts and has now earned $119,300. She paid $8.24 to win.

Division one of the ISS filly trot was named “The Norman Woolworth Memorial” and division four “The Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg Memorial”, both sponsored by Arden Homestead Stable, E. T. Gerry Jr., Peter Gerry, Stoner Manor Inc., Menhammar Stuteri AB, Jorgen Jahre Jr., LST Stable, Lawrence DeVan and William DeVan. The second division was named “The Chapter Seven” sponsored by Blue Chip Farms while divisions three and five were named “The International Moni” sponsored by the International Moni Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.

Live racing concludes at The Red Mile on Sunday (Oct. 6) with a 12-race card capped by the feature event of the Grand Circuit meet, the $500,000 Kentucky Futurity. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).

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

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile