Father Patrick to race in Bluegrass at The Red Mile on Sunday
September 25, 2014,by Nick Salvi, for The Red Mile
Lexington, KY — The sport’s leading 3-year-old colt trotter, Father Patrick, will race in the Bluegrass stakes at The Red Mile as the Grand Circuit meet continues on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 28). Fifteen colts were entered in the stake and Father Patrick drew into the tenth race for a purse of $93,100.
The Cantab Hall colt from Gala Dream comes in after a resounding success in the Canadian Trotting Classic at Mohawk where he dominated the field in 1:52.4 after being outside the entire mile. That win put the pride of the Father Patrick Stable over $1 million in seasonal earnings. He will start from post one on Sunday with regular driver Yannick Gingras for trainer Jimmy Takter.
Also on the card are a pair of $86,700 Bluegrass divisions for the sophomore trotting fillies featuring the potent duo of Lifetime Dream and Shake It Cerry, also racing out of the Takter barn.
Lifetime Pursuit has been nothing short of sensational since her Hambletonian Oaks win at The Meadowlands. She lowered the world record for her age and gender on the mile track in that one at 1:50.4 and has since equaled the world record on a five-eighths track with a 1:51.3 score at The Meadows during her current six-race win skein.
Now a winner eight times in 13 starts, the Cantab Hall-Gala Dream lass is approaching $1 million in career earnings for owner/breeder Brittany Farms. Gingras has driven Lifetime Pursuit to all of those successes for Takter and will have the assignment from post two in the fifth race on Sunday.
Shake It Cerry has been a model of consistency over her 22-race career with 17 wins and $1.4 million earned for Solveig’s Racing Partners. She was at perhaps her career best in a dazzling Elegantimage score at Mohawk in her last start in a personal record of 1:52.1, winning by more than nine lengths.
Shake It Cerry is by Donato Hanover from the prolific producer Solveig. Taker developed the family and has trained her throughout her career. Ron Pierce has been behind last year’s divisional champion for virtually all of her starts and will drive from post two in Sunday’s 11th race.
The Allerage Farms Open Pace and Trot did not require elimination races and the horses entered will go directly to the finals on Kentucky Futurity Day (Sunday, Oct. 5).
Among the entrants are the top two horses in the current Top Ten Poll, Sebastian K in the trotting race and Sweet Lou in the pace.
Sunday post time is a matinee 1 p.m. Clubhouse dining is available for all Grand Circuit cards and reservations may be made by calling 859.233.0814. More details are available by visiting The Red Mile website.
- Gingras talks trotters heading into Sunday’s Red Mile card (Friday, September 26, 2014)
Driver Yannick Gingras is atop the national purse standings with $11.72 million heading into Friday evening, and this Sunday he has engagements with two trotters who have contributed to that total considerably.