by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — All eyes are on The Red Mile this time of year and when Ideal Nuggets notched the first triumph of her career at odds of 123-1 in her $96,200 division of the Bluegrass Stakes over the red clay oval on Sept. 26, she certainly turned some heads. The attention, however, was probably misguided as this filly never had any business going off that high in the first place.

“We have always thought highly of this filly and in fact, thought her first two or three starts were disappointing,” said Ed Lohmeyer, who conditions Ideal Nuggets for Robert and Lauren Tucker. “But the last month she has really started to kick in. She is a big, strong filly that is still growing. She wears a 62 inch hobble and I just let them out another two holes. I think she will only continue to improve as the year goes on.”

On Friday (Oct 3), Ideal Nuggets will have the opportunity to add another triumph to her resume when she competes in an $84,900 division of the International Stallion Stake at The Red Mile. David Miller, who guided her to victory last week, has the return call in the sulky. The duo will leave from post position seven and will definitely not be yielding that kind of payday should she enter the winner’s circle, as she is 7-2 on the morning line.

Nigel Soult photo

Ideal Nuggets lit up the toteboard by paying $249.20 to win in her Bluegrass division.

A daughter of Western Ideal and the Art Major mare Rough Sketch, Ideal Nuggets races as a homebred for her connections and is the first foal out of her dam, who Lohmeyer also trained and thought highly off. During her time on the track, Rough Sketch collected just under $120,000, paced in 1:55.4h at two and her record stands at 11-3-1-4. She was very competitive on the New York Sire Stakes circuit. Ideal Nuggets seems to have inherited the talent her mother also possessed.

“Her mother was a very, very nice filly that raced with a cracked bone in her hock,” Lohmeyer said. “She fit well in New York company and was a big, strong filly as well.”

Ideal Nuggets debuted at the Meadowlands on June 27 in a $25,500 New Jersey Sire Stakes contest. With Hall of Famer Ron Pierce holding the lines, she was second to the highly regarded Cashaway from Tony Alagna’s barn by a neck. She paced her last quarter in a blistering :26.2 with no urging.

She was then third to Stacia Hanover on July 5 in a $50,000 New Jersey Sire Stake with another sub-:27 last quarter. The filly was third yet again to the same rival on July 12 in the $100,000 NJSS final with :27.2 homeward bound panel.

Her next engagement was another third to Cashaway at Tioga Downs on August 3 in a $31,607 division of the Tompkins-Geers Stake before a trip to Mohawk for an appearance in the $71,525 Eternal Camnation on August 16. Ideal Nuggets hit the wire in third, but was placed second. Her next performance was a seventh place finish behind JK She’salady in the She’s A Great Lady elims at the same facility on August 23. The filly left from post nine and also scoped sick.

She then returned to Tioga Downs on Sept. 12 for a $25,903 division of the Reynolds Stake and was second to fellow Bluegrass division victress, Bettor Be Steppin.

“Her first start at Tioga she had the two hole but she was behind a really good horse that never backed up to her,” Lohmeyer said. “Also, Ronnie was very conservative with her those first couple starts and she is very well mannered, so it’s not like you have to leave with her right out of the gate. She will do whatever you want her to and sometimes she has had a little too much to do late in the race. She’s just run out of space.”

After having the services of Ron Pierce for her first three starts, Brian Sears for her first appearance at Tioga and then John Campbell north of the border and in the Reynolds, Ideal Nuggets was driven in Lexington by another Hall of Famer in David Miller.

“I think she might have been such long odds in the Bluegrass because when people don’t bet a lot at a track and the favorite is 1-9 that makes other horses go off at very high odds,” Lohmeyer said. “I also think people looked at John choosing to drive Brett Bittle’s filly (Deli Beach) instead of her for that race, but I think John is very good friends with Brett so that’s why he selected to drive her. I think he also drove a colt for him the same day.”

No stranger to the sulky himself, with $13.6 million since his career commenced, Lohmeyer never outlines a strategy with the people that drive his horses. He never provided David Miller with any guidelines on Ideal Nuggets.

“I made a living driving for more than 20 years so I know what it is like,” he said. “I never tell them anything except to do what they think is best while they are out there. David gave her one tap out of the gate last week and then allowed her to do the rest.”

After Ideal Nuggets has completed her sojourn in Kentucky, she will return to the East Coast and Canada to finish out her freshman season.

“We will put her in the Historic at Chester,” Lohmeyer said. “Then take her to Canada for the Three Diamonds, next is the Matron and she will finish with the Breeders Crown. She truly is still growing and I think she will only continue to get better and better with each race.”