Lexington, KY – Hope Hill turned the tables after a 3-1/2 length defeat to Brett Pelling’s star sophomore pacing filly Miss Jum Jabber in the Kentucky Championship Series final when she overpowered her late in the stretch for a 1:49 victory in the second of the cohort’s $151,000 Grade 3 Bluegrass Stakes on Saturday (Oct. 3) at The Red Mile.
Leaving from post 2, driver Dexter Dunn eased into third with Hope Hill as longshot On Heir (driven by Yannick Gingras) swept to the lead with Miss Jum Jabber (Scott Zeron) restless in the pocket. Zeron obliged to roll Miss Jum Jabber entering the backstretch and took over command well before a :55.1 half while Dunn waited to mount his attack to the far turn. Dunn slid off the cones with Hope Hill, marched after Miss Jum Jabber to three-quarters in 1:22.1 and kept chugging against the odds-on favorite in the lane. Hope Hill matched strides with Miss Jum Jabber and overhauled her nearing the finish to win by a head with I’m A Lou Lou (Tim Tetrick) closing for third and Gala (Todd McCarthy) taking fourth.
A homebred daughter of Papi Rob Hanover-Ruth Hill for owner Tom Hill, Hope Hill won for the sixth time this season from 13 starts and for the 10th time from 22 starts in her career, good for $399,432 in earnings. The Petter Engblom trainee, sent the second choice in the betting, paid $24.02 to win.
Odds-on favorite Topville Lucky snatched the lead in the backstretch and asserted full authority to the finish of a 1:49.1 mile in the first Bluegrass division for sophomore pacing fillies.
Todd McCarthy secured a seat with Topville Lucky behind early leader Lyons I Wanna Chip (Jason Bartlett) to a :27 first quarter, but soon circled the Andrew Harris trainee to the top heading towards a :55 half. Topville Lucky coasted on the point through the last turn, clicked past three-quarters in 1:22.3 and glided home a winner by three lengths chased by Need You Now (Dexter Dunn) in second. Barbuda Belle (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) rallied from a pylon trip for third and Sunny Station (Scott Zeron) took fourth.
“She’s actually been a really nice filly,” said McCarthy. “She’s just a little bit under some of them – like that Miss Jum Jabber is a freak. So when we drew away from her, I felt pretty confident in her.”
Topville Lucky competes for owner Punisher 11 Stable LLC. The filly by Sweet Lou, out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Warrawee Winx, won her second race from 10 starts this season and her eighth race from 17 starts in her career, earning $511,186. She paid $3.02 to win.
The first division of the Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Filly Pace was sponsored by the Tall Dark Stranger Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms, and the second division was sponsored by Clear Creek at Brittany.