Author: by Kimberly French, for The Red Mile

Although the four $80,000 legs of the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series contests for freshman and sophomore trotters and pacers are complete, there is plenty of stakes action from Sunday (Sept. 8) through Tuesday (Sept. 10) on the agenda at The Red Mile as the anticipation for the eight $400,000 finals on Sunday (Sept. 15) continues to build.

Captain Optimistic and driver Yannick Gingras, along with Arbitrage Hanover and driver Todd McCarthy, won their $150,000 New Jersey Classic Finals for 2- and 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers, respectively, at The Meadowlands on Friday night (Sept. 6).

Sophomore Rocket Deo and freshman My Sweet Lily had no problems making their early foot take them to the wire and then to Victory Lane in Friday’s (Sept. 6) New Jersey Classic finals for pacing fillies at the Meadowlands.

Woodside Gabe captured the $8,500 featured Open Trot at Vernon Downs on Friday (Sept. 6).

The high-priced claiming pacers took center stage at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon (Sept. 6), with Imaginary Line taking the $12,000 handicap feature.

The first two of 10 races at Freehold Raceway on Friday (Sept. 6), showcased four Italian amateur, or “gentleman” drivers racing against four American amateur drivers.