Lexington, KY — Dexter Dunn, the leading driver of the 2026 meeting at the Red Mile by a sizeable margin, added four more victories to his holster inside of the eight $50,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series finals contested on the Tuesday (Sept. 22) card.
Dunn opened the stakes action with undefeated Gagosian, who collected his fifth straight victory when taking his competition around the track to win the Golden Rod final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings in 1:55.2.
Dunn cruised out of post 8 to lead with the Marcus Melander trainee through a :29.2 first quarter and faced minimal pressure through middle splits of :58.3 and 1:27.2 in progress to a 2-1/4-length win with Madeby Volo (Todd McCarthy) chasing from a ground-saving trip in second. Dad’s Tab (Tim Tetrick) kicked from second-over for third and Senor Julio (Marvin Luna) rallied from last for fourth.
A colt by Walner-Basquiat, Gagosian has now banked $50,000 for owners Brittany Farms LLC and S R F Stable. He paid $5.04 to win.
Dunn immediately returned to the winner’s circle when ripping off cover with Rowdy Station to seize victory in the 2-year-old male pace.
After parking through the first turn and to a :28.1 first quarter, Dunn fished cover to race third-over while A Bettor Dream (Marvin Luna) flushed out of fourth to lead the outside charge to a :56.1 half and 1:24.2 three-quarters. Dunn swung Rowdy Station to the center of the track spinning for home and surged by rivals to take the lead in the stretch while holding off a late push from Reflector (Todd McCarthy) by a head as he rallied from second-over late. A Bettor Dream gave pursuit from third and Perfect Joe (Yannick Gingras) sat a stalking trip for fourth.
Chris Ryder trains Rowdy Station, a gelding by Huntsville-Rodeo Rosie, and co-owns him with Henderson Farms, Robert Mondillo and Pryde Stables Inc. The gelding won his fourth race from seven starts and has now earned $56,100. He paid $13.88 to win.
Dexter Dunn and Chris Ryder teamed for another victory on the card when 8-5 chalk Need You Now steamrolled first up into the last turn to take the lead and win the 3-year-old filly pace in a 1:51.2 mile.
Dunn planted Need You Now into fourth through a :28.1 first quarter and stayed put as Naughty Beauty (Yannick Gingras), the second favorite at 9-5, led the field to a :57 half. As the tempo quickened to three-quarters in 1:24.3, Dunn angled Need You Now off the pylons and marched forward to eventually collar Naughty Beauty in the lane. From there, Need You Now coasted to the beam a 1-1/4-length winner chased by pocket-popping She’s A Rich Girl (Tim Tetrick) in second. Nash (Todd McCarthy) rallied from off the speed for third, and Naughty Beauty settled for fourth.
Chris Ryder trains Need You Now, a homebred Captaintreacherous-Dream Outloud filly, for owner Dr. Fred Kruszelnicki. The filly won her third race from 12 starts this season and her fifth race from 19 starts in her career, earning $98,135. She paid $5.46 to win.
Dunn and trainer Marcus Melander completed a bookend of the day’s finals with a victory by Mine Mine Mine in the last final of the day, the 2-year-old filly trot.
Settling into third from the pylon draw through a :28.3 first quarter, Dunn looped Mine Mine Mine towards the lead in the backstretch and grabbed control before a :56.4 half. Your Grace (Marvin Luna) tipped off the pylons from fourth heading for the last turn and inched up the rim towards the leader, but Mine Mine Mine clicked past three-quarters in 1:25.2 and held her ground to the finish. Putitondad’stab gave chase from a pocket trip in second, beaten 2-1/4 lengths, with Your Grace settling for third and Only By Request (Mattias Melander) closing from third-over for fourth.
A filly by Gimpanzee-Overdraft Volo, Mine Mine Mine has now won three races from four starts and earned $39,300 for owners Kentuckiana Racing Stable, Mantorp LLC, Heights Stable and Joseph King. She paid $6.04 to win.
Chapel sprung from a shuffle to score a 1:53.2 win in the 3-year-old male trot.
Scott Zeron sent Chapel for the front out of post 6 and yielded command to long shot Caraxes (Yannick Gingras) passing a :28.3 first quarter. Nicholson (Dexter Dunn) soon brushed forward to take the lead, but Dunn then parked Castro (Atlee Bender) as he pressed towards the top approaching a :56.3 half. Castro matched strides with Nicholson to three-quarters in 1:25, where Zeron found clearance to slide Chapel off the pylons for the stretch drive. Chapel eked through a gap at the top of the lane and gathered speed to take the lead and hold his ground late for a half-length win over Lethal Legacy (Andy McCarthy), who split horses from an inside path for second. Nicholson took third, and Impossible Bi (Marcus Miller) closed down the center of the track for fourth.
Anette Lorentzon trains Chapel, a gelding by Chapter Seven-Beautiful Game, for owners Dream With Me Florida LLC and Follow Me Stable LLC. The gelding collected his fifth win from 15 starts this season and from 21 starts in his career, earning $76,947. He paid $11.72 to win.
Joey Putnam placed Era Dominance on the front after the quarter and left his rivals to the rear for a 1:51.2 victory in the 2-year-old filly pace.
Putnam pushed past long shot leader Holy (Todd McCarthy) after a :27.4 first quarter to take control with the 3-5 favorite while maintaining her speed through a :55.4 half and 1:24 three-quarters. Era Dominance turned away a first-over challenge from Odds On Momma (Dexter Dunn) coming for home and strode to a snug victory by 1-1/2 lengths with JK Alwaysbpositive (Tim Tetrick) rallying from second-over for second. Holy took third, another 3 lengths behind, and Miss Dolce (Andy McCarthy) finished fourth.
Michael Hitchcock trains Era Dominance, a filly by JK Endofanera-Always Soggy, for owner William Hartt. The filly won her fourth race from six starts and has now earned $96,735. She paid $3.48 to win.
Marvin Luna marched 9-5 second choice Numanthia up the rim moving for the last turn and muscled clear of the competition for a 1:53.2 victory in the 3-year-old filly trot.
Luna landed Numanthia into fourth out of post 8 coming to a :28.3 first quarter and angled off the pylons approaching a :56.4 half to challenge new leader Jula Priceless (Andy McCarthy) through the last turn. Numanthia drew alongside Jula Priceless and effortlessly edged by past three-quarters in 1:25.1 to scamper 3 lengths clear of her rivals heading for the finish. Pillsbury burst onto the scene late from last but settled for second, beaten 2-1/4 lengths, with Clemency (Todd McCarthy) chasing from a second-over trip for third and La Mancha (Trace Tetrick) following from a ground-saving journey in fourth.
Bob Stewart trains Numanthia, a filly by Six Pack-Illuminata, for owners Morgan and Nicolas Roussel. The filly has now won five races from eight starts this season and seven races from 16 starts in her career, banking $88,775. She paid $5.92 to win.
Ron Burke trainee Stingman persevered through a parked mile to land a 1:50 victory in the 3-year-old male pace.
Yannick Gingras floated Stingman out of post 2 to race seventh through a :27 first quarter as odds-on favorite Benny B Hill (Dexter Dunn) led a shuffle for the lead to the backstretch. Gingras nestled Stingman into the outer tier and found himself uncovered once L B I (Andy McCarthy) brushed by Benny B Hill to take the lead to a :54 half. Stingman dug into L B I through the last turn, pushed past that rival after three-quarters in 1:21.3 and kept him at bay all through the lane for a game victory by three-quarters of a length. Benny B Hill chased in third with Gunmetal (Todd McCarthy) giving pursuit from a second-over trip for fourth.
A gelding by Perfect Sting-Captiva, Stingman competes for owners Jack Piatt III, Scott Croftcheck, Joseph Seman and William Schmid. He won his 11th race from 20 starts this season and from 22 starts in his career, earning $117,150. He paid $6.10 to win.
Live harness racing at the Red Mile resumes with the start of the Grand Circuit meeting next Thursday (Oct. 1), featuring the Bluegrass Stakes for 2-year-old trotting males and 2-year-old pacing fillies. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
For more information on the 2026 live harness racing season, visit the Red Mile website.