from The Red Mile

Lexington, KY — The 2012 Kentucky Sire Stakes season wrapped up Sunday night (Sept. 9) at The Red Mile with eight $250,000 finals for 2- and 3-year-olds of both gaits featured on the card.

Two sophomores were able to defend their championships, including the 3-year-old filly trotter Northern Miss Hall and the 3-year-old colt pacer Bolt The Duer.

Bolt The Duer won in a KYSS record 1:48.2 for driver Mark MacDonald.

The marquee match-up of the night was the 3-year-old colt pace where Adios winner Bolt The Duer and North America Cup winner Thinking Out Loud squared off for the first time in KYSS action this year. The race lived up to its billing as Bolt The Duer won in a KYSS record 1:48.2, rushing past Thinking Out Loud in midstretch for the victory.

Mark MacDonald had Bolt The Duer on the lead early from post two but Randy Waples had the front end on his mind as he had Thinking Out Loud moving forward from post seven. Bolt The Duer reached the quarter in :26.3 but then MacDonald willingly yielded the front to Waples and Thinking Out Loud, who then took the field to a :53 half and 1:21.2 three-quarters.

At the top of the stretch MacDonald angled Bolt The Duer off the pylons and with a final quarter of :26.4 easily went past Thinking Out Loud to win by 2-1/2 lengths. Caviart Key and driver Tyler Smith tracked the two race favorites from the onset and settled for third.

“My horse will follow speed all day long so I was in a good spot,” MacDonald said afterward of yielding the front to Thinking Out Loud. “I think if the roles were reversed Thinking Out Loud probably could have popped off my back, but it was me in the two hole.”

The win was the fourth straight for Bolt The Duer, a son of Ponder bred by Peninsula Farm and owned by John Como Sr. and John Como Jr.’s All Star Racing Inc. Trained by Pete Foley, Bolt The Duer increased his career earnings to $897,401.

Nigel Soult photos

Northern Miss Hall was a 1:55 winner for driver Dan Noble.

Just as Bolt The Duer swept his way through the KYSS series, Northern Miss Hall did the same in the 3-year-old filly trot. With Dan Noble driving for trainer Johnson Hill Jr. and breeder-owner Northern Lane Farm, Northern Miss Hall was a 3-1/2 length winner over runner-up Feel The Pressure and Peter Wrenn in 1:55.

A daughter of Like A Prayer, Northern Miss Hall notched win number five this year and 10th overall in 16 career starts. The win brought her career earnings to $330,020.

Shawnee Dancer, an entry into trainer Ron Burke’s barn following her win in the opening round of KYSS action late last month, strolled to a 3-1/4 length win in 1:53 for driver Brian Sears in the 3-year-old filly pace. Miss Lucy O was second for Dan Shetler, with Park Lane Crystal and Ron Pierce third.

Bred by Henry and Judy Lunsford, Shawnee Dancer was raced by the Lunsfords until being sold to Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Howard Taylor after she won her first KYSS leg in 1:52.4. She followed that up with a second-leg victory before completing the sweep on Sunday.

A daughter of Jate Lobell, Shawnee Dancer increased her career earnings to $223,710 with the victory.

Fusion Man, who made a break in the opening round of the KYSS and needed a big effort in the second leg to qualify for the final — he won in a career-best 1:53 — romped to a 6-1/2 length win in a new career mark of 1:52.4 in the 3-year-old colt trot. Tyler Smith drove the son of Valley Victory for his father, trainer Jeff Smith, and owner TDTrot LLC.

Fusion Man avenged last year’s KYSS final when he made a break behind the gate and was never a factor. On Sunday, Fusion Man easily bested the 2011 winner Prayer Session and driver Dave Magee, with Enrico As and MacDonald third.

Bred by Mark Knepp and Leroy Kemp, Fusion Man win was his fifth in seven starts this year, bringing his career earnings to $197,477.

Tyler and Jeff Smith also teamed up to win the 2-year-old colt trot with Mystical Dew, who kept his perfect record intact in four starts. The son of Deweycheatumnhowe has lowered his mark with each of his victories, capped off by his 1:55.2 effort on Sunday that was 2- 3/4 lengths better than runner-up Caveat Emptor and Ray Schnittker. Here’s Johnny finished third for Mike Lachance.

Bred by Walnut Hall Stock Farm, Mystical Dew now has earnings of $142,750.

Peter Wrenn was able to urge Andie Sophia to a neck win over Simone Hall and Lachance in the 2-year-old filly trot. Andie Sophia was eighth at the half before she came rallying late to catch Simone Hall in the final strides and spoil that one’s bid for a KYSS sweep. Favorite True Day Dream, driven by Dan O’Mara, had her five-race win streak snapped as she settled for a third-place finish.

Bred by Winbak Farm, the winning daughter of Like A Prayer earned a new speed badge with her victory, the second in a brief three-start career. Owned by trainer Rob Harmon’s Harmon Racing Stable, Comfortably Numb Stable and Adam Friedland, Andie Sophia now has earnings of $136,250.

Just five 2-year-old filly pacers lined up behind the gate and it was favored Ohmybelle who took home the $125,000 winner’s share of the $250,000 prize.

Trainer Randy Jerrell directed the daughter of Ponder himself to the 1:56 victory, defeating runner-up Diligent Prospect and Lachance by 1-3/4 lengths.

Bred by Frank Coleman, Ohmybelle is owned by Janet Lee Banks. The win was her ninth in 11 starts — the other two attempts were second-place outings — to bring her earnings to $162,625.

Duel In The Sun overcame some jostling in the stretch to post a game 1:52.2 victory in the 2-year-old colt pace. Driven by Wrenn, Duel In The Sun came into close quarters with the Matt Kakaley-driven Blatantly Best a couple of times as they turned for the stretch drive and then nearing the wire Blatantly Best drifted to his right toward Duel In The Sun.

Under the wire, Duel In The Sun had his nose in front of Blatantly Best. Nutmegs Maya and Sears were third.

Trained by John Butenschoen, Duel In The Sun is a gelded son of Cambest. Bred by Denim Stable, Duel in The Sun is owned by VIP Internet Stable and William Wiswell. The career-best win was his fourth in seven starts, bringing his earnings to $174,064.