Lexington, KY – On Wednesday (Aug. 27) Endurance made it look effortless as he stopped the clock in a lifetime best 1:52.3 in the $80,000 fourth round leg of the Kentucky Championship Series at The Red Mile for his fifth consecutive victory. The 13-race card also included two $30,000 divisions of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series, three $15,000 divisions of the Kentucky Golden Rod Series and two $10,000 divisions of the Kentucky Wildcat Series for freshman male trotters.
Endurance makes quick work of his foes in Championship Series
Assigned post position six, Andrew McCarthy and Endurance left the gate in second position in the field of seven and that is where they remained for the majority of the mile. It Could Be Worse (Scott Zeron) took command at the outset and set splits of :28.4, :56.4 and 1:25.3 with the favored Endurance content to follow.
By the three-quarter pole, Endurance was only behind the leader by a nose and from there on it was really witnessing a talented colt come home in :27. Silverstein (David Miller) closed from fourth with a last quarter panel in :26.4, but Endurance refused to be denied. Neighver Punt (Dexter Dunn) was overtaken by Silverstein in the lane but held for third.
Trained by Chris Beaver, Endurance is a son of Captain Corey-Love Session. He has banked $193,200 with his only loss in six starts a fourth-place finish in his debut at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel in June.
The colt was bred by Steve Stewart and Marti S Ala Seppala. He is the third foal out of his dam, a half sibling to world champions Triumphant Caviar and Centurion ATM, and by far her most prolific, which is ironic considering his price tag.
Super Endurance Stable, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and Mark Moger signed the check at last year’s Standardbred Horse Sale for $14,000 and sent him to Beaver, who also trained Triumphant Caviar.
Endurance paid $4.15 to those that wagered on him as the public’s top selection.
Lethal Legacy upsets, Zephyr Kemp wins two straight in Commonwealth Series
Lethal Legacy and Todd McCarthy captured the first division in 1:54.3 with Be Green (Andy Miller) in second and Gorilla Sighting (Atlee Bender) third across the finish line.
Trained by Carter Pinske, the son of Muscle Hill-Lakewood Lady broke his maiden in his sixth attempt. His record includes two seconds and a third.
The gelding was bred by James Wilhite Jr. and is a full brother to Kentucky champion Selfie Queen ($479,882). He was purchased for $140,000 by his trainer’s stable and Hazy Holdings LLC at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Lethal Legacy has now earned $39,700 and paid $25.26 at odds of 11-1.
Favored Zephyr Kemp (Dunn) won his second consecutive race in a lifetime best 1:53.4 by a nose over second choice Requiem (D. Miller). Express Train (T. McCarthy) got up for third. Trained by Marcus Melander, the son of Calgary Games-Southwind Adele improves to 7-3-0-0 and placed $65,200 in his bank account.
The colt was bred by Kemppi Stables Oy and Suojalampi Stable. All five of Southwind Adele’s foals of racing age are winners with three of them breaking the $100,000 barrier in purse money.
Zephyr Kemp’s breeders retained ownership of the horse arranged a new partnership for $80,000 at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale with PCW Racing and Sjoblom Racing Inc. The colt’s price at the windows was $4.44.
Dunn takes two of the Golden Rod divisions and one Wildcat leg
Caraxes (D. Miller, $6.96) had his picture taken in the first division. Dunn guided Never Say Die ($15.62) and Jeffrey Neil ($7.66) to the wire the following legs. Tim Tetrick and Lucchese ($8.28) took the first division of the Wildcat Series, with Dunn in the bike behind Caviart War Room ($2.56) in the second.
Dunn had four consecutive wins on the day in races, six, seven, eight and nine.
Racing will continue through Sunday (Oct. 5), following a Sunday through Wednesday schedule. Fans and horsemen can look forward to 5:05 p.m. post times on Sundays, and 1:00 p.m. post times on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays throughout the meet.
The Red Mile will once again feature industry low takeout on the pari-mutuel side of things while offering fans a full buffet of wagering options including bookend daily double wagering exacta and trifecta wagering, 20 cent superfectas, Pick-3, Pick-4, Pick-5 and Pick-6 offerings and the Super Hi-5.
For more information on the upcoming draw schedule, promotional events, the live racing calendar, or free racing program pages, please visit www.redmileracing.