Lexington, KY — Trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt took 10-1 shot Presto from the pocket and powered past 9-5 second choice You Ato Dream to win the first division of the $349,000 Norman Woolworth Memorial Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Filly Trot on Saturday (Oct. 3) at Red Mile.

Pub Crawl wins her fourth race from 10 trips to the gate at Red Mile on Saturday afternoon. Amanda Stephens photo.

Svanstedt sent Presto for the lead from post position seven, but yielded control as You Ato Dream brushed from third to the lead by a :27.3 first quarter. You Ato Dream maintained her speed up the backstretch with a strung-out field chasing the pacesetter to a :54.4 half-mile.

To the far turn You Ato Dream continued uncontested, though the tempo softened as Presto veered out of the pocket by three-quarters in 1:23.4 and dug into the leader through the stretch, edging a nose in front to the finish of a 1:53 mile. Rose Run Whitney rallied from the back for third with Chablis closing for fourth.

“She is good so far,” said Svanstedt. “She’s doing good every time. It’s only in the race that she’s nice to drive—she’s a puller when we train her at home. But she’s a real racehorse. She [left] fast and came home good.”

A daughter of Trixton-Susie’s Magic, Presto was bred by William Jones and Steve Stewart. The filly won her third race from five starts, earning $96,800 for owner Brixton Medical Inc. She paid $22.60 to win.

Pub Crawl scooted through an opening at the pylons to pull a 15-1 upset in the second division of the Norman Woolworth Memorial.

Eazy Pass cleared command before a :28 first quarter with 4-5 favorite Flawless Country racing second and 9-5 second choice Iteration sitting third. Past the half in :56.1, Lindys Dollywood tipped first over from fifth moving to the far turn and flushed cover when Flawless Country vacated the pocket moving to three-quarters in 1:24.3.

Tiring in the stretch, Eazy Pass gave way to Flawless Country. Iteration fanned off the pylons but had no clearance while Pub Crawl weaved by Eazy Pass and stormed up the cones entering the final sixteenth, sliding by Flawless Country to stop the clock in 1:53.4. Iteration, finding room late, finished third with Eazy Pass settling for fourth.

Returning $32.80 to win, Pub Crawl collected her fourth win from 10 starts, earning $176,263 for owners Andy Miller Stable, Louis Willinger, Kapildeo Singh & Legendary Standardbred Farm. Miller drove the daughter of Bar Hopping-Myth  for trainer Julie Miller.

Hello I Love You lunged off a helmet to best even-money favorite Beautiful Game in a stretch-drive sprint to the end of a 1:54.2 mile in the third division of the Norman Woolworth Memorial.

Sweeping Rainbow swooped to the lead past a :28 first quarter after being carried three wide around the first turn. Beautiful Game secured the pocket into the backstretch with Hello I Love You racing third and Frankly My Dear fourth. Past the half in :56.1, Frankly My Dear pulled first over and progressed towards the leader circling the final turn. Aunt Irene, the 8-5 second choice, followed cover loosely from second over to three-quarters in 1:26 but lost stride turning into the stretch.

Beautiful Game edged out of the pocket as Frankly My Dear took the lead from Sweeping Rainbow into the stretch. Hello I Love You rode the favorite’s helmet but dove to the inside while Beautiful Game rallied to the center of the track. Beautiful Game got a jump on Hello I Love You moving to the eighth pole, but the Tony Alagna-trainee accelerated towards the lead late to snag her second victory from seven starts. Frankly My Dear held third with Contested Hanover taking fourth.
Bred by Docs Farm Inc.

Hello I Love You has earned $58,200 for owners Let It Ride Stables, M T Pockets Stables, Alagna Racing and Marvin Katz. Joe Bongiorno drove the daughter of Trixton-Flirtin Miss who paid $10.20 to win.

Anoka Hanover nailed tempo-setter May Karp in the final strides of a 1:54 mile to win the last division of the Norman Woolworth Memorial.

May Karp cleared the lead to a :28.3 first quarter while 6-5 favorite Darlene Hanover raced fifth into the backstretch before edging first-over and marching towards May Karp past a :57.2 half. Darlene Hanover pressed May Karp to the three-quarters in 1:25.3 but ducked to the inside as May Karp extended her lead into the stretch.

The backfield fanned across the track as May Karp veered off the pylons clinging to the lead in the final eighth. Anoka Hanover gathered the most momentum from third over and fired through the stretch to take the lead late and win. Hot As Hill finished third with Splash Blue Chip charging from last for fourth.

“A couple got away pretty good early there and I didn’t want to push [Anoka Hanover] too much,” driver Todd McCarthy said after the race. “When we settled where we did, it kind of looked like I was going to get a good trip into it. I know she’s got a lot of trot late and just was going to hope we’d have enough to get there.”

Co-owned by trainer Noel Daley with L A Express Stable LLC and Caviart Farms, Anoka Hanover won her fifth race from nine starts, earning $177,216. The Hanover Shoe Farms-bred daughter of Donato Hanover-Aunt Mel paid $7.20 to win.

Each division of the Norman Woolworth Memorial was sponsored by the Arden Homestead Stable, ET Gerry and Peter Gerry, Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg, Stoner Manor Inc., Menahmmar Stuteri Ab, Jorgen Jahre Jr., LST Stables and Lawrence DeVan.

Grand Circuit competition continues at The Red Mile on Sunday (Oct. 4) with 12 divisions of Bluegrass Stakes which includes three divisions for sophomores of each sex and gait. The 15-race card, which includes two non-betting races at 12:15 p.m. will commence pari-mutual races at 1:00 p.m.