Oak Grove, KY – One race after the track record for 3-year-old pacing colts at Oak Grove was bested, Chris Ryder trainee Show Me Your Ace snatched the title with a 1:49 win going pillar to post in the fourth of four $40,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) divisions for his cohort on the Wednesday (June 24) card.
Leaving from post 6, driver Dexter Dunn dashed Show Me Your Ace for the lead into a :26.1 first quarter to pocket Thiago Hanover (driven by Yannick Gingras) heading for the stretch the first time. Show Me Your Ace then glided through the remainder of the race with a :54 half and 1:21.2 three-quarters to coast in a comfortable winner by 6-3/4 lengths. Vizcaya (Marvin Luna) rallied for second while Thiago Hanover broke stride around the last turn and recovered to hold third. A Bit Of Spirits (Wyatt Avenatti) finished fourth.
Ryder co-owns Show Me Your Ace, a colt by American Ideal-Trip Aces Hanover, with partners Anne Demers, Lawrence Minowtiz and Ake Svanstedt. He won his third race from four starts this season and his fifth race from 16 starts in his career, earning $153,272, and paid $4.10 to win.
In the race prior, Funky Buddha (Tim Tetrick) eclipsed the nearly three-year-old track record with a 1:49.2 stroll in the third KYSS division for sophomore pacing males. Tetrick brushed forward with the Tony Dinges trainee passing a :26.4 first quarter and cruised through middle fractions of :55 and 1:22.2 to roll home a 1-3/4-length winner over pocket-chaser Louaville (Scott Zeron) in second. A Perfect Moment (Marvin Luna) saved ground for third and Coup Station (Atlee Bender) faltered from a first-over push in fourth.
Rick Berks owns Funky Buddha, a colt by Sweet Lou-The Double Deuce. The colt won his first race from four starts this season and his fourth race from 14 starts in his career, earning $173,840, and paid $5.06 to win. His 1:49.2 mile was the first on the day to beat the previous track record of 1:49.3 set in 2023 when Tip Top Cat won the KYSS final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Caviart Daisy (Dexter Dunn) posted the top mile of the day from the three $40,000 divisions of KYSS for 3-year-old pacing fillies with a 1:50 effort. Dunn worked a pocket trip behind 4-5 favorite Gala (Todd McCarthy) through a clip of :26.3, :55 and 1:23 before pouncing and scoring by 1-1/4 lengths with Seaside Charm (Yannick Gingras) giving chase behind in third over Kissin In The Dark (Andy McCarthy) to the inside in fourth.
A track-record holder in her own right with a 1:51 mark taken last season at Oak Grove, Caviart Daisy easily lowered her lifetime best with the win — her fourth from six starts this season and her 10th from 17 starts in her career. Jamie Sullivan trains the daughter of Sweet Lou-Caviart Darlin’, who has now earned $310,222 for owner Frank Chick. She paid $4.68 to win.
Other winners in KYSS action on the day included Papi Rick (Andy McCarthy, 1:50.3 winning mile; $4.30 to win) and Captain Brunson (Dexter Dunn, 1:50.2; $7.82) from the male dashes as well as Hope Hill (Dexter Dunn, 1:50.3; $2.64) and Interstellar (Marvin Luna, 1:50.4; $3.56) from the filly divisions.
Live racing at Oak Grove resumes on Monday (June 29) with a Monday-Tuesday rotation before returning to a Monday-Wednesday rotation the week of July 6. First-race post time is 1:10 p.m. (CDT). For more information, visit oakgrovegaming.com.