Gordon Waterstone

Lexington, KY — Another chilly Thursday morning at The Red Mile but at least today the sun was shining, which made it feel a bit warmer than the 48 degrees my weather app told me. And of course my first stop was to the breakfast table which was full of boxes and boxes of bagels and donuts and coffee.

Today’s breakfast was sponsored by the Kentucky Harness Horsemen’s Association and executive secretary Amanda Stephens was overseeing the action at the table. Amanda is also the track photographer at The Red Mile so I asked her to pose for today’s photo, telling her that she is always the one taking the picture so I was going to take a picture of her.

Kentucky Harness Horsemen’s Association executive secretary Amanda Stephens was the hostess at Thursday’s breakfast table at The Red Mile. Gordon Waterstone photo.

Sweden-based photographer Adam Strom texted me yesterday he was on his way to Lexington and sure enough, he was the first person I saw at the table. Adam told me he arrived last night and that his journey here went well. It was then that my phone rang and I told Adam I bet it was Boss Kathy, and sure enough, it was. I let Adam answer the phone and he talked a second and then gave it back and told me Boss Kathy was on the grounds and headed our way.

She arrived and told me she had to come by and see Little Brown Jug winner Bythemissal, who is in the barn of trainer Ron Burke. Kathy has a bit of a connection to Bythemissal as her sister, Sally Bolon, is the caretaker. Bythemissal isn’t racing at The Red Mile this weekend, instead he’ll be off to Hollywood Dayton on Saturday night for the $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes final, with Chris Page driving from post two.

Greg Wright Jr. was heading to the track with Jujubee, who is slated to go in the $250,000 Dayton Trotting Derby Saturday night at Hollywood Dayton. Greg said he was going to give the reigning Trotter of the Year “a good blow out” as a final prep for the race. It’s been a tough year for Jujubee as health issues have limited him to just two starts. Andy McCarthy is set to drive Jujubee for Greg and owner Jon Erdner from post five.

I then started to make my first trip around the backstretch when Cindy Solverson came up to me and asked if I could pass out a few of Thursday’s programs to some trainers. I grabbed a few and as I started my walk I saw Trackman Greg, who is Trackman Dan’s brother. It was then I saw photographer John Sannucci. I was a bit surprised since I didn’t expect to see John, and he told me, “I got on the New Jersey Turnpike and must have taken a wrong turn and landed here.” John pointed to his blue camper out in the parking lot that he drove to the Bluegrass.

Ray Schnittker and Domenico Cecere were both coming off the track so we exchanged greetings. I stopped at the Melander barn where I again saw young Adam, and left a couple of programs there. I then made my way to the end of the barn area where Tony Alagna is based, with Joe Holloway and Linda Toscano across the aisle. I wanted to find Tony but he was nowhere to be seen, and since Myron Bell wasn’t around I assumed they were out looking at yearlings.

I stopped in to see Joe and assistant Diane Lewis as I always do (and Roxie) and filled in Joe on the health of my 3-year-old cat Willow. Joe had asked about dinner last night and I couldn’t as I wasn’t sure of my timing after taking Willow to the vet. I gave Joe and Diane the update and that the cat is on the mend and hopefully feeling better by the weekend.

Linda came over so we talked for a few minutes as well. She told me her husband, Brad McNinch, has been in Lexington since August and he’s more than ready to get back home.

I made my way back up toward the track and there was much more action today than yesterday. I had given out a couple more programs and had only two left, and both went to Julie Miller. It was then I heard somebody call my name and it was Mickey Burke sitting in his truck. He had rolled the passenger window down to holler at me so I went over to talk to Mickey for a few. He told me he is already ready to head to Florida for the winter.

I made my way back to the breakfast table and there wasn’t too much left. Amanda told me that she had thought she might have brought too much, but it was just enough. Dave Brower then came over to talk for a few and Greg Wright Jr. soon joined us. I asked about his daughter Alyssa, who attends the University of Kentucky. Greg was able to spend a lot of time with Alyssa last year as she was in her freshman year at UK, but he told Dave and I that this year she is taking classes online from her home in Pennsylvania near The Meadows.

I made a call to trainer Jack Darling yesterday afternoon as I heard that his superstar pacer Bulldog Hanover would be arriving at The Red Mile sometime on Thursday. Also on the same truck would be Beach Glass, so the two richest horses in 2022 (nearly $2 million in combined earnings) were traveling together.

Beach Glass, whose wins this year include the Meadowlands Pace, Hempt Memorial and Cane Pace, is set to start from post three in an $88,500 Bluegrass division Saturday at The Red Mile. Trainer Brent MacGrath will again have Yannick Gingras in the sulky behind Beach Glass, who overall has seven wins and three seconds in 10 starts this year with $930,069 in earnings. I’m looking forward to seeing Brent MacGrath, who I’ve come to know very well since his years with Somebeachsomewhere.

As for 1:45.4-winning Bulldog Hanover, the world’s fastest pacer ever who has 11 victories in 12 starts this year while taking the racing world by storm, he will start from post eight in the $250,000 Dayton Pacing Derby on Saturday night at Hollywood Dayton.

Anyways, I was a bit disappointed when Jack — who I’ve known since my early days as PR director at Hazel Park in the early 1980s — told me that the truck probably wouldn’t arrive until around 6 p.m. today. Jack said he will be heading directly to Hollywood Dayton on Saturday from his Ontario home and then coming to Lexington, while Brent will be here on the grounds. So that’ll be my first stop on Friday morning.

Remember again that racing this first week is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a 1 p.m. post. Next week’s schedule shifts to Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all with that 1 p.m. post. The Lexington Selected Yearling Sale at Fasig-Tipton gets underway Monday night and then shifts to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, and then back to a nighttime session on Friday. The mixed sale wraps it up the following night on Saturday.

No changes in gas prices, and as I told you yesterday, shop around as prices I’ve seen fluctuate between $3.20 and $3.49.

I’ll be back with you Friday and Saturday morning, and then with no racing on Sunday, Backstretch With Gordon will take a break until Monday. Again, thanks to Steve and Cindy Stewart’s Hunterton Farm and Hunterton Sales Agency for their sponsorship and support.