Gordon Waterstone

Lexington, KY — Neither Nancy Takter nor Julie Miller were victorious in Sunday afternoon’s Breeders Crown Dash for Cash at The Red Mile, but they came up winners with their “charity bartending” at McCarthy’s Pub Sunday night. Although Nancy and Julie couldn’t actually go behind the bar as McCarthy’s has their own bartenders, the two trainers were all over the place taking orders and tips. And the place was busy!

Nancy told me she had come up with the idea for the charity bartending night just a few days ago, with all proceeds going to the Standardbred Transition Alliance. Despite the short advance, McCarthy’s was full of horsepeople, which probably left the locals in there a bit bewildered as to the big crowd on what is usually a slower Sunday night.

Nancy Takter and Julie Miller came up winners with their “charity bartending” at McCarthy’s Pub Sunday night. Gordon Waterstone photo.

Nancy had teamed up with Dexter Dunn and Julie with David Miller in Sunday afternoon’s Dash for Cash, which was held about 30 minutes before the start of the card, but the pair respectively finished second and fourth. The winner’s prize of $4,000 from the $12,500 purse offered by the Libfeld/Katz Breeding Partnership went to the team of Yannick Gingras and Sarah Svanstedt and the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund. Andy McCarthy and Makenna Pinske took home show honors.

The girls pulled the guys for the first 50 yards before they exchanged sulky positions, and that’s where team Yannickatnight Gingras took over as Yannick and Sarah switched spots seamlessly. They easily pulled away in the last 50 yards for the victory!

I watched the Dash from the first apron box by the winner’s circle, and then stood as Sandy Hadley sang the National Anthem. She stood right behind me and when she got done with her beautiful rendition I apologized that I turned my back on her to face the flag. Sandy is doing triple duty during the two weeks of major stakes racing as she is singing the anthem, overseeing the trophy table, and holding the microphone while the bugler plays the Call to Post.

We made it through two races with just light rain, and then just as the horses were ready to go to the gate for race three, the skies opened up and it was a monsoon. They raced the race and in fitting fashion it was the Ake Svanstedt-trained and driven Mon Amour who won the Bluegrass split for 3-year-old colt trotters at odds of 53-1.

Race four was the much anticipated match-up between Perfect Sting and Charlie May, but that’s when things got a bit dicey. By then I had moved way up into the higher rows of the grandstand to avoid getting wet as the rain was still coming down hard with a strong wind. The horses post paraded but then I saw David Miller wheel Perfect Sting back to the paddock in anticipation of scratching, where trainer Joe Holloway and caretaker Diane Lewis took the bike off, a task made a bit harder when the sophomore pacer reared up. A few minutes later all the horses came off the track.

Charlie May (#6) evaded a late charge from Perfect Sting to win his Bluegrass division over off going at The Red Mile. Amanda Stephens photo.

Gabe Prewitt announced the obvious weather delay, so we waited. And we waited. But Trackman Dan and Trackman Greg did an outstanding job whipping the track back into shape so the delay was only 30 minutes. The horses all came back on the track — including Perfect Sting — and we raced, with Charlie May and Brett Miller holding off Perfect Sting by three-quarters of a length in 1:49.3. A retiming of the race then adjusted the final clocking to 1:51.1.

Sugar Valley Farm’s Joe McLead joined Charlie May’s owner Don Tiger in the winner’s circle, hopping across the muddy track and the puddle in front of the winner’s circle. Coming back Joe had Brett’s wife, Stacey, on his back as she had flip-flops on and got stuck in the mud on the way over and didn’t want the same on the return trip. When he came back off the track, a huffing and puffing Joe told me that he was enjoying this year’s Backstretch columns.

When I went up in the grandstand I walked by Sam Bowie and his wife, and Sam told me the delay gave him a chance to read the current Backstretch. I went over and sat a row below Jenn Bongiorno, and I congratulated her on Team Bongiorno’s win with Water Sports Teen in the second race (an $84,000 Bluegrass division). Her brother Joe drove Water Sports Teen to the 1:49.3 victory, and I told Jenn how lucky she was that the race finished just before the deluge. Moira Fanning and John Campbell were sitting just across from me, and how could I turn down John’s offer for a beer? So I switched sides, clanked cans together with John, and we watched a couple of races as well as keeping eye on NFL scores.

Eventually the skies cleared and the sun came out and it turned into a pleasant afternoon. I was able to walk the apron and saw Tristan Sjoberg, and while I was talking to him I heard, “Hey, it’s Backstretch With Gordon!” Hello Bernie Noren! Tristan, who now lives in Singapore, told me that just like last time he was in Lexington he would be heading to Las Vegas for some work and play. He said he’s been on a world tour as he visits his gaming companies in several countries. He said he will have to do two weeks of quarantine when he arrives back home in Singapore.

Mark Weaver overheard Tristan tell me about the quarantine, so he told Tristan, “You’ll have plenty of time then to watch yearling videos for the Harrisburg sale.”

Following Test Of Faith’s victory in race nine (a Bluegrass division), I walked over to congratulate Ken Jackson, who co-owns the 3-year-old filly pacer as Kentuckiana Racing Stable with Melvin Segal and Eddie Gran, for Test Of Faith becoming the sport’s newest millionaire with the win. The former offensive coordinator for the Kentucky football team, Eddie now serves as an off-the-field assistant to coach Mark Stoops.

I saw Jimmy and Christina Takter and they were color coordinated in blue, including Jimmy’s dashing pair of shoes. That’s why he sent Christina on a solo mission to present the trophy in one race as those shoes weren’t getting muddy. Jimmy told me Christina dressed him, thus the matching colors.

The last stakes race on the card was a heartbreaker for the connections of Eazy Pass as the 3-year-old filly trotter lost her gait just as she was crossing the finish line with driver David Miller. After a lengthy delay — which led to Nick Salvi changing our dinner reservations at Carson’s from 7:30 to 8:15 — and a patient David Miller who stayed by the winner’s circle with Eazy Pass with the help of attendant Oliver Williams, the judges took their number down and put up Amazone Duharas, who was driven by Yannick Gingras.

After the race I saw Amazone Duharas’ breeder-owner, Gilles Blondeau of Haras De L Estrie Inc. A native of Quebec, Gilles spoke limited English, but he asked me if Amazone Duharas was the betting favorite (she was the 5-2 second choice) and what she paid. I told him $7.80 to win and a nice $7 to place.

I went to dinner with Nick, Mike Vandeheede, Dave Brower and Greg Wright Jr., and then we headed over to McCarthy’s, which was only a few blocks over. The night was a lot of fun and I left around midnight as I had my early Monday morning set for the racetrack.

Today marks the first day of the second week of racing in Lexington. The first person I saw this morning at The Red Mile was Julie Miller, and after I asked how it went last night, she said, “Nancy said we did a good job and it was great to see people stick together.”

I walked all the way to the other side and Andy Cohen yelled over to grab a bagel inside Linda Toscano’s barn. Which was great because I had forgot Cindy Solverson told me there wouldn’t be a breakfast table this morning. As I ate my bagel and Linda lamented about the sad status of her mums outside the barn, her dog Bailey sat at my side and just stared at me. She wanted that bagel bad, with Linda telling me that when people eat, “Bailey turns into a spectator sport.” Andy, Brad McNinch and South Mountain Stable’s Dan Baer were all there and all laughed.

I walked back up and saw Greg White, who was a bit hoarse due to what he says was a lot of loud talking at McCarthy’s because of the noise. Kayla Hendry said she was a bit tired from the shinding last night. Kayla’s father, Ernie, was coming off the track so I said hello as he went by.

I was ready to leave when I saw Brian Brown watering the front of his barn, so I went over and talked to him for a few, and then as I was heading out, Marvin Pryor, a Kentucky horseman, asked if I had enough for my column today. Marvin is here helping out fellow Kentuckian Randy Jerrell, and he also is driving the van that takes the winning connections from The Red Mile paddock to the winner’s circle. Also a blacksmith, Marvin told me he drives the starting car at Oak Grove as well.

That’s it, I’ve gone way too long, but I’ve been a busy camper. Remember the Round Barn fundraiser tonight that gets underway at 5 p.m. Ellen Harvey texted me yesterday that one of the offerings comes via Dr. Bob Murphy, her significant other, who spent his lockdown time in the pandemic putting together a gorgeous stained glass piece that depicts the Round Barn, also known as the Stable of Memories. Bob used approximately 200 pieces of glass to put it all together.

No changes in gas prices, still mainly $2.94 to $3.03.