T C I returns to Red Mile in Saturday’s Bluegrass

LEXINGTON, Ky.— T C I (Cantab Hall), winner of last year’s Mohawk Million and himself a millionaire, returns to the site where he nailed eventual Hambletonian winner Karl when he starts from post 8 in the first harness racing division of the $256,900 Greenshoe Bluegrass Stakes – for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings – on Saturday (Sept. 28) at The Red Mile.

The Ron Burke hopeful for the 2024 Hambletonian, T C I entered harness racing’s marquee event off a lifetime-best 1:50.4 win, but faded from fast fractions through the August downpour and finished fifth. He then broke stride before the start of the $300,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial and hit the bench to return with a 1:53 win in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final, which was his most recent appearance on a track. David Miller steers the Cantab Hall colt as he makes his first start at The Red Mile since nosing Karl to win a 1:51.4 mile in an International Stallion Stakes division last year.

Division two of the Greenshoe attracts Dame Good Time (Chapter Seven), who also makes a Red Mile return – admittedly with a quicker turnaround – off a victory over Karl. Dame Good Time hugged the pylons and slipped by the Hambo winner to win the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final in 1:50.2 by a neck. Scott Zeron steers the gelding for trainer Travis Alexander as he faces six foes that includes Sig Sauer, who won the $300,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial and looks to rebound off a break in stride as the 3-5 favorite in the $250,000 New Jersey Classic final on Sept. 6 at The Meadowlands. Andy McCarthy sticks with Sig Sauer for trainer Noel Daley from post 2.

Hambletonian runner-up Highland Kismet (Father Patrick) will also look for amends from a break in stride when he starts from post 6 in the third split of the Greenshoe. The Mark Etsell-trained gelding bobbled stride and galloped out of contention as the 3-5 favorite in the $527,620 Canadian Trotting Classic final – that race coming off a pair of wins including a stakes-record 1:51.3 mile in a $121,360 Simcoe Stakes division at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Bob McClure comes to town to drive Highland Kismet in the seven-horse contest.

Saturday’s card opens with the first of two $197,000 Captaintreacherous Bluegrass divisions, for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Division one collects Captain Luke, fourth-place finisher in the $650,000 Meadowlands Pace and the slight 3-1 morning-line choice, in a seven-horse field that includes regal siblings in Arson, a three-quarter brother to double millionaire Pure Country and to stakes-placed Charleston, from post 6 and Tall Dark Stranger’s full brother Total Stranger from post 7. Todd McCarthy acquires the drive on Arson for trainer Eric Patalan as Scott Zeron sticks with Tony Alagna-pupil Captain Luke from post 4, while Dan Noble travels down to drive Total Stranger for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. Steely Knife, winner of the $100,000 Kentucky Commonwealth final, also competes from post 2 with Dexter Dunn grabbing the drive for trainer Ron Burke.

The second split for the Captaintreacherous Bluegrass, carded as Race 10, pins Better Is Nice (Bettor’s Wish) against six others, half of whom he trounced in his 1:48 pocket pop to victory in the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final. Andy McCarthy drives the colt from post 6 for trainer Tony Alagna. The field also includes Jug import Huntingforchrome from post 7 with Matt Kakaley in the bike for trainer Travis Alexander and Lillbliss, runner-up in the Kentucky Commonwealth final and also a rare white horse sired by another rare white horse in White Bliss. Peter Wrenn drives the Ake Svanstedt trainee from post 2.

Hambletonian Oaks runner-up Buy A Round (Walner), who found success both weeks of the Grand Circuit meet last year at The Red Mile, returns to Lexington in the first of three divisions for the $252,200 King Of The North Bluegrass Stakes; carded as Race 2. The Noel Daley-trained filly lands post 8 off a 1:56.2 win in the $40,000 Garden State at Freehold Raceway on Sept. 19 and keeps Andy McCarthy in the sulky. The field also includes Cool Ma Belle, a three-quarter brother to 2022 Hambletonian winner Cool Papa Bell, from post 2 and Soiree Hanover, last season’s Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year, from post 7.

Division two of the King Of The North gathers seven including 5-2 morning-line chalk Miss I La (Walner), who makes her first start since finishing second to Buy A Round in the $250,000 New Jersey Classic final. Joe Bongiorno drives the Noel Daley trainee, who finished fourth in the $525,000 Hambletonian Oaks, from post 6 against a bunch that includes win-shy Chaparmbro, who two starts ago did find the winner’s circle with a 1:54.4 off-the-speed effort in a New Jersey Classic elimination, from post 2 and Kentucky Commonwealth runner-up Stella Volo from post 3. Yannick Gingras pilots Chaparmbro for Ron Burke and Todd McCarthy steers Stella Volo for Carter Pinske.

Kentucky Championship Series victor Date Night Hanover (Chapter Seven) lands the pylon post as the 8-5 morning-line choice in the third and final division of the King Of The North. The Marcus Melander-trained filly gutted a 1:50.1 lifetime-best win in the Championship Series final as the even-money favorite and now finds lighter waters. Kentucky Commonwealth champ Star Attraction, starting from post 3 with driver Yannick Gingras, makes a move up in class inside the third division, a race that also includes Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final runner-up Paulina Hanover from post 7 with Tim Tetrick at the reins.

Sophomore pacing fillies also spar in two divisions of the $170,000 Papi Rob Hanover Bluegrass on the Saturday card.

The first Papi Rob Hanover division sees Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year Geocentric (Sweet Lou) make her first Grand Circuit start since finishing eighth in the $104,225 Adioo Volo on July 27. Tim Tetrick drives the Brian Brown trainee who, off a one-blemish freshman campaign from 10 starts, looks for her second visit to the winner’s circle in 2024. The filly starts from post 5 fresh from a runner-up effort in the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final.

My Girl EJ (Sweet Lou), made a millionaire when winning the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final on Sept. 9, enters the second division of the Papi Rob Hanover as the 9-5 morning line choice and looking to rebound. The Ron Burke-trained filly broke a hobble heading to the half of the $260,000 Jugette final – after setting a world record with a 1:49.1 win in her first heat – and pulled up from the race. Dexter Dunn pilots My Girl EJ from post 1 in an eight-horse affair that also attracts Brett Pelling trainee Rocket Deo, winner of the $101,000 Shady Daisy on Hambletonian day, from post 8 with Andy McCarthy in the bike.

Each division of the $197,000 Captaintreacherous, $170,000 Papi Rob Hanover and $256,900 Greenshoe Bluegrass Stakes are sponsored by their respective stallion syndicates and Hanover Shoe Farms. Each division of the $252,200 King Of The North Bluegrass Stakes is sponsored by Kountry Lane Standardbreds.

Saturday’s program features 15 races total, as well as a pair of non-betting races preceding the pari-mutuel card. First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m. (EDT).

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

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile