Oak Grove – Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel hosts a robust schedule of Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) races over the coming week, with a quartet of $150,000 summer series championships for 4-year-olds headlining Monday’s (June 22) 15-race program totaling nearly $1 million in purses.
The male pacing final, carded as the opener, sets up as a showdown between a pair of Ron Burke trainees who swept their respective preliminary heats. Harrisburg Heist, who in May won the spring series final in 1:48.4, brings a five-race win streak to the summer series final. The Downbytheseaside-Cashaway gelding will again be driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr., and will start as the 8-5 morning line favorite from post 7. His stablemate Captain Arturovico, who starts from post 5 as the 7-2 second choice, posted three straight preliminary wins in the current series after rallying for third in the spring series final. Dexter Dunn will drive the Captaintreacherous-Tillikum gelding.
In the mare trot (Race 3), two-time preliminary winner R Dutchess has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite, with Tim Tetrick driving the Tyler Butenschoen trainee from post 3. Lasting Dream, who finished a beaten second to R Dutchess last week after scoring a 1:52.1 seasonal mark in the second round, will start from post 5 as the 3-1 second choice with Daniel Dubé aboard for trainer Luc Blais.
The male trotting championship (Race 5) features a pair of two-time preliminary winners in Gimpanzee Dancer and track-record holder Whiskey Wow. Gimpanzee Dancer, who won the spring series final in 1:51.3 and matched that time in first-round preliminary action with a 5-3/4-length score, just missed Whiskey Wow in their lone head-to-head meeting this series but has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite on the strength of a six-win season to date. Andy McCarthy will drive the Chris Beaver trainee from post 6. Whiskey Wow, the fastest horse in the field by virtue of his 1:50.3 first-round win and the only horse in this field to defeat Gimpanzee Dancer in Kentucky Sire Stakes competition this season, is the 3-1 second choice with Dunn aboard for trainer Matthew Wilson from post 2.
The quartet of 4-year-old finals concludes with the mare pace (Race 9), in which Three Times Bettor seeks a second championship title at the current meet. A 1:48.3 winner in the spring series final, the daughter of Bettor’s Delight-Three Times A Lady posted wins in two of her three summer preliminaries, cracking the 1:50 mark on both occasions. Dunn drives the Brett Pelling trainee, who is the 4-5 early favorite in the field of seven, from post 2.
Monday’s program also features seven $40,000 first-round Kentucky Sire Stakes events for 2-year-old pacers, as well as a $36,000 Open Handicap Pace and a $33,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace.
KYSS continues at Oak Grove the following day with “Tuesday at the Trots,” a 16-race card loaded only with races for trotters. The first round of the Kentucky Sire Stakes for 2- and 3-year-olds dominates the program, and a $36,000 Open Handicap Trot featuring a rematch of seasonal standouts Jigger DK (post 8, Todd McCarthy, 2-1) and Little Expensive (post 7, Tyler Miller, 5-2) showcases the top older trotters on the grounds.
A special Wednesday (June 24) program completes the racing week, with the first half of the 14-race card dedicated to the first round of the Kentucky Sire Stakes for pacing 3-year-olds.
First post each day is 1:10 p.m. (CDT).
A quartet of 15% takeout wagers are offered on each card: three $1 Pick-4s (Races 1-4, 5-8, and last four races) and a 20-cent Pick-5 (Races 9-13). Free full-card past performance pages and race-by-race insight from analyst Ray Cotolo are available at oakgrovegaming.com.