by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile

Lexington, KY — The entire sophomore division is in the spotlight on Saturday (Oct. 3) with the colts and fillies of both gaits competing in a total of nine Bluegrass divisions on the 13-race card at The Red Mile. The filly pacers will compete in three divisions, totaling $189,400, while the other classes will race in two divisions.

The program begins with the first $72,000 division for filly trotters, which is led by Mission Brief, who enters from a five length victory in the $307,040 Elegantimage at Mohawk Racetrack. Freshman of the year in 2014, she has hit the board in all nine of her tries this season, with seven of those attempts resulting in victory, including an elimination for the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands. Banking $1,320,062 in her two-year campaign, she’ll start from post seven for connections Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Our Horse Cents Stables, and Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables.

The early daily double concludes with the other split of Bluegrass for filly trotters. The $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks winner Wild Honey will start from post seven for trainer Jimmy Takter and owners Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding and Herb Liverman. She was second to Mission Brief in the Elegantimage and won the $350,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final at Pocono. She neighbors stablemate Lilu Hanover, entering off a sixth in a $54,600 division of the Buckette at Delaware, Ohio. Lilu Hanover competes for Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld.

The first of three Bluegrass filly paces follows the filly trots. Joe Holloway’s Bettor Be Steppin, a star during Grand Circuit week at two, races from post two for owners Val D’Or Farms, Rojan Stables and Ted Gewertz. The Bettor’s Delight filly draws in off a fourth in the $170,000 Nadia Lobell at The Meadows. She has won five races this season, including the $350,000 Valley Forge and $300,000 James Lynch Memorial. Adversaries Bettor N Better, who won an elimination of the Jugette, and Wicked Little Minx, winner of the $100,000 Miss New Jersey, also draw into this split.

Tony Alagna-trained Bedroomconfessions starts from post six in the second division. She comes in from a fourth in the $151,350 Jugette final after finishing third in her elimination earlier in the day. She has three wins to her credit this season, including the $20,000 Shady Daisy consolation, $25,000 Empire Breeders Classic consolation, and a preliminary of the New York Sires Stakes. Challenging Bedroomconfessions is Devil Child from post two. Owned by Homer Hochstetler, James Michels and South Of The Tracks Racing Inc., the American Ideal filly enters off a second in the $225,000 New York Sires Stakes final.

The final Bluegrass for filly pacers begins the late daily double and features Joe Holloway-trained Divine Caroline and Chris Ryder’s The Show Returns. Divine Caroline has won three races this season, including an Empire Breeders Classic elimination, and has finished second in the $269,000 Empire Breeders Classic final and $109,500 Shady Daisy. The Show Returns enters off a second in the Nadia Lobell, which followed a series of off-the-board finishes. She has also finished third in the $100,000 Miss New Jersey. Divine Caroline is owned by Val D’Or Farms, Ted Gewertz, Rojan Stables, and Michael Ouriel. The Show Returns competes for Richard and Joanne Young.

The first of two splits for the $220,000 Bluegrass colt trot attracted the likes of Crazy Wow and The Bank. Crazy Wow, racing for Our Horse Cents Stable, Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables, and Deo Volente Farms, is a Ron Burke trainee and finished second in the $532,000 Canadian Trotting Classic on Sept. 19 at Mohawk. To Crazy Wow‘s credit are the $500,000 Yonkers Trot at Yonkers Raceway and $500,000 Colonial at Pocono. Jimmy Takter’s The Bank was fourth in the Canadian Trotting Classic and has won the $350,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final and a $159,750 division of the Stanley Dancer at the Meadowlands. The two are in against five other trotters.

Jimmy Takter trains two trotters in the latter split — Uncle Lasse and Whom Shall I Fear. Uncle Lasse was third in the Canadian Trotting Classic after beating Crazy Wow in the elimination the week before. He has also finished third in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final, the Colonial, and the Hambletonian. Whom Shall I Fear has won six races this season, with two being in a $50,000 division of the Townsend Ackerman and a $35,000 division of the Liberty Bell. They will begin from posts one and seven, respectively.

A winner during the Grand Circuit meeting last year, In The Arsenal returns as the headlining act in the first division of the $185,000 Bluegrass colt pace. The Kelvin Harrison-trained son of American Ideal has won six times this season, including in the eliminations for the Empire Breeders Classic, Meadowlands Pace, and North America Cup. He’ll face seven other pacers, including Battle of the Brandywine Consolation winner Rollin Ring Afire and Adios consolation winner Rock N’ Roll World.

The other Bluegrass colt pace matches up the winner of the $400,000 Adios, Dude’s The Man, against the winner of the $500,000 Messenger Pace, Revenge Shark. Both Dude’s The Man and Revenge Shark enter from the Little Brown Jug, where they failed to make the final. Revenge Shark also beat Dude’s The Man in the Messenger Pace by a nose. He has four wins this season, with one of them coming in a $56,664 division of the Tompkins-Geers. The Tony Alagna trainee also finished fifth in the $706,000 Meadowlands Pace. Dude’s The Man was second in the Meadowlands Pace and finished third in the $319,400 Cane Pace and $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine. Alagna Racing LLC and Brad Grant own Revenge Shark, while Dude’s The Man, conditioned by Jessica Okusko, is owned by M&L of Delaware and Victoria Dickinson.

The final prime-time program for the Grand Circuit meet is set to begin at 7 p.m.