Lexington, KY – It has arrived. After nearly two months of competition, the Kentucky Championship Series events worth $3.2 million will take place at The Red Mile on the 13-race Sunday Night Lights card (Sept. 14) sponsored by Crawford Farms. Eight $400,000 contests for freshman and sophomore trotters and pacers will produce newly crowned champions in the Commonwealth.
Miki And Minnie arrives on a roll for championship attempt
Fresh off her triumph in the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final, the sport’s top-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll returns to Lexington on a seven-race win streak in the Championship for 3-year-old filly pacers.
Miki And Minnie brings a record of 11-10-1-0 to Lexington with her only loss this season in the Keystone State by a head. The daughter of Always B Miki-That’s The Ticket will have the services of the track’s leading driver, Dexter Dunn, and will begin pacing from post position two in the field of seven. The Chris Ryder trainee is 3-5 on the morning line.
Already a Kentucky champion, the Dan Patch Award winner brushed off a surge from world champion Looksgoodinloulou (Yannick Gingras, post position five, 9-2) to win the third leg of this series in 1:50 last month.
Competing as a homebred for Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz, Miki And Minnie collected the first win of her career in the Kentucky Commonwealth Series prior to capturing the 2024 Championship for her age, sex and gait.
To date, the filly possesses a resume of 22-16-5-1 and has earned $1.54 million.
Two-year-old male pacers Brandon Blvd, Ubrute meet again in the Championship
Brandon Blvd (Tim Tetrick) began his brief career with four straight victories, including the first three legs of this series before Ubrute (Gingras) collared the colt in the lane in the final leg in 1:50.1.
Trained by Andrew Harris, Brandon Blvd is a son of Downbytheseaside-Alexis Faith. His record is 5-4-1-0 and his bankroll is $145,500.
He and Tetrick will leave from post position four in the field of 10 and are 6-5 on the morning line.
Bred by Crawford Farms, Brandon Blvd was a $425,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase in 2024 for William Pollock, Bruce Areman and his trainer.
Alexis Faith is a half sibling to 2021 Horse of the Year Test Of Faith.
Like Brandon Blvd, Ubrute has plenty of pedigree as the son of Tall Dark Stranger and world champion Warrawee Ubeaut. The colt is a member of the Burke Brigade, who also trained his dam. She remains the fastest 2-year-old pacing filly over this oval in conjunction with Looksgoodinloulou (1:48.3).
It took a start or two for Ubrute to exhibit his ability, but after compiling a record of 4-1-1-1 and earning just shy of $70,000 the colt seems to have found his best stride in this series. He also enters with momentum after breaking his maiden and snapping Brandon Blvd’s win streak.
Ubrute will begin pacing from post position five and is 2-1 on the morning line.
The colt was bred by Burke Racing Stable, Crawford Farms Racing, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Phillip Collura. He is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Hatfield Stables and Collura.
Setyoursightshigh vies for the 2-year-old filly trotter crown
Drawn in post position nine in the field of 10, the daughter of In Range-Special Interest will have Dunn holding the lines for trainer Marcus Melander. The filly is 3-5 on the morning line and rightfully so.
Setyoursightshigh places her six-race win streak on the line after easily annexing two Ohio Sire Stakes legs and the first two legs of this series. She also won the $100,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes final at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel in June and returned from second-place in her debut to take the $150,000 Next Generation at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
The filly was bred by Kentuckiana Farms and was selected for $50,000 at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale by Heights Stable, Mantorp LLC, AMG Stable and K Kjellgren Livs AB.
Setyoursightshigh has earned $265,000 in purse money.
Carve (Andrew McCarthy, post position three, 9-2) and Leading Lady (Gingras, post position 10, 9-2) appear to be the filly’s main opposition as they have won legs of this series.
Yo Tillie goes for 12 straight in 3-year-old filly trot
Todd McCarthy and Yo Tillie will begin their mile from the rail and are 3-5 on the morning line in the field of nine. Trained by Andrew Harris, the daughter of Tactical Landing-Consolidator, has not lost since she finished third in last year’s Championship behind Aperfect Annie (James MacDonald, post position eight, 15-1) and Torrisi (Tetrick, post position four, 9-2).
Yo Tillie, who checks in at No. 3 on the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, was purchased privately by William Pollock, Bruce Areman and her trainer after she won the $100,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes final at Cumberland Run last fall.
The filly was previously trained, driven and owned by Verlin Yoder. He purchased her under the name Tactoulator at the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for $25,000.
Yo Tillie was bred by GBW Breeding Farms and Black Creek Farm.
She is 20-16-1-1 and has earned $723,663.
Bahama Momma seeks to assume command of the 2-year-old filly pacing division
Trained by Joe Bongiorno, Bahama Momma and Scott Zeron will commence their Championship journey from post position three in the field of eight and are 9-2 on the morning line.
The daughter of Tall Dark Stranger and champion Idyllic Beach is 6-3-2-0 in her young career with $126,221 in her bank account. She will need to rebound from an eighth-place finish in the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final, in which she broke stride early in the mile.
Bahama Momma can certainly do exactly that as she won her first two starts in Pennsylvania, before finishing second in two legs of this series and winning the other.
Bred by Christina Takter, Marvin Katz and Brixton Medical Inc., the filly was purchased privately by Let It Ride Stables and Odds On Racing.
Topville Lucky (Dunn, post position six, 8-5) and Beautiful Memory (James MacDonald, post position two, 8-1) were the fillies who bested Bahama Momma during the series.
Another filly worth a long look is Gala (T. McCarthy, post position seven, 7-2). The daughter of Downbytheseaside-Sweetest Emotion was a strong second to Topville Lucky in the final leg of this series after stepping up in class from the Commonwealth Series with only two starts on her record.
Endurance looks for six in row in event for freshman male trotters
Andrew McCarthy will be in the sulky for trainer Chris Beaver, when he and Endurance leave from post position four in the field of eight. The duo is 6-5 on the morning line and are undefeated in the three legs of the Championship series they have contested.
In fact, the son of Captain Corey-Love Session, has not lost since his debut at Oak Grove in June. He is 6-5-0-0 and has collected $193,200 in purse money.
Bred by Steve Stewart and Martti Ala-Seppala, the colt brought down the gavel for $14,000 at last year’s Standardbred Horse Sale. He is owned by Super Endurance Stable, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and Mark Moger.
Super Chapter, Go Dog Go, Mr Mouton meet again
After Super Chapter made an uncharacteristic break in the third leg of this series, while Go Dog Go visited the winner’s enclosure, the tables were turned in the fourth leg. Super Chapter rebounded with the win while Go Dog Go went off stride.
What will the third meeting this season over the red clay provide?
Super Chapter and Dunn drew the rail for Melander and are 6-5 on the morning line in the field of 10. The Hambletonian runner-up, world champion and Kentucky champion comes in ranked as the fifth best horse in the sport.
The son of Chapter Seven-Lifetime Pursuit is 9-7-1-0 this season and 20-12-4-1 overall with $1.25 million in the bank.
Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, the colt is owned by Jeffrey Snyder, Arthur Pronti and his breeder.
Go Dog Go and T. McCarthy got post position three and are 9-2 on the morning line for trainer Carter Pinske. The son of Greenshoe-Primary Target is out to atone for his miscue in the fourth leg.
Bred by Wiesman Farms and co-owned by that entity with Al Libfeld, the colt is 17-6-2-3 and has earned $470,218 lifetime.
World champion Mr Mouton is 2-1 on the morning line and will leave from post position two. He will be steered by his trainer, Ake Svanstedt. The son of Chapter Seven-Burberry is lightly raced and established his standard of 1:50.1 over this very surface last month.
Bred by Kevin Greenfield, the gelding is owned by Knutsson Trotting, Little E LLC, Stolz Geiger and Jorgen Sparredal Inc.
Mr Mouton 8-4-3-0 and has earned $163,713 in purse money in his career.
Sippinonsearoc attempts to win his fifth straight in 3-year-old male pacing Championship
The sport’s fastest 2-year-old will compete for his first Kentucky crown after losing last year’s engagement to stablemate Louprint. Sippinonsearoc will have Gingras as his guide for trainer Ron Burke. The son of Downbytheseaside-Queen Ann M will begin pacing from post position one and is 6-5 on the morning line in the field of eight.
Sippinonsearoc has been simply superb since a fourth-place finish in the Adios in July. The colt has been dominant in winning three legs of this series and a leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes prior to this appearance.
Bred by Trent Stohler Stable and Alesha Binkley, Sippinonsearoc has demonstrated his affinity for the Bluegrass with his world record (1:48.2) last summer. He possesses a career resume of 22-11-4-2 and has banked $810,900.
The colt is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, R A S Racing and Knox Services.
Sippinonsearoc was a $77,000 purchase at the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for his connections.
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