Banana Beach rebounded from a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Sire Stakes final at Oak Grove with a narrow win in the back-half sprint of the opening preliminary of the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series for 2-year-old pacing fillies on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 4) at the Red Mile.
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Ken Warkentin’s Final Road to the 2026 Winning Key Farm Hambletonian
Hambletonian elimination winners Apex and Big Ranger 1-2 in Ken Warkentin’s final Road to the Winning Key Farm Hambletonian.
Bailey J leads the field in NYSS action at Batavia Wednesday
A single field of eight 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings will go postward for a purse of $110,200 when the New York Sire Stakes reconvenes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Aug. 5.) The race will feature a recent track record holder who will be on hand to try and set another in a field that will offer a lot of competition.
Freshman colts in Maryland Standardbred Fund action at Ocean Downs
The Maryland Standardbred Fund was in action Monday night (Aug. 3) at Ocean Downs as freshman pacing and trotting colts and geldings competed. Three lucrative divisions worth more than $109,000 in purses produced a pair of exciting pacing upsets and a dominant performance from an impressive young trotter.
Mocha Java wins Saratoga Casino Hotel debut in Open trot
Mocha Java (Creatine) prevailed in his debut in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon.
So Rock N Roll posts record breaking 1:48.2 mile at Plainridge
The records continue to fall over the lightning-fast track at Plainridge Park this year and the latest one to drop made So Rock N Roll the all-time fastest Massachusetts-bred pacer ever after he won the featured $23,000 upper-level conditioned pace on Monday (Aug. 3).
2YOs Shalom Hanover in 1:49.2; Starstruck Hanover in 1:49.4
Shalom Hanover, a 2-year-old pacing colt by Papi Rob Hanover – Sammy’s Magic Girl, captured his division of a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event for his grouping on Monday (Aug. 3) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, winning easily in 1:49.2 – a time which makes him the fastest 2-year-old of 2026 and the fastest 2-year-old of all-time at Pocono, and a clocking just a fifth shy of the all-time record for any freshman on a 5/8-mile track (Frantic Hanover’s 1:49.1 in last year’s Sire Stakes Championship at Philly).
Hayden makes plenty of hay in Maine
On the final day of the Cumberland meet the Pine Tree State’s entire group of 2- and 3-year-old trotters helped close out the season on Sunday (August 2) at the iconic Southern Maine oval, with many of the series’ familiar faces increasing their leads in the point standings. Among the group of sophomore distaff trotters is the current Belle of the Ball, Hayden, who has won four of her five seasonal outings.
Top Reacher Upsets in Kentucky Championship Series; Melander Wins Six
Top Reacher split rivals from a ground-saving trip and collared his rough-gaited stablemate Command Center in the closing strides of a 1:54 mile to land a 24-1 upset in the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Monday afternoon (Aug. 3) at The Red Mile.
Meadows Monday Memo
Here is this week’s Meadows Monday Memo: