by Gabe Prewitt, for The Red Mile

Lexington, KY — The Kindergarten Classic kicks off locally at The Red Mile, with five $10,000 divisions on Friday night (September 9) for freshman trotters.

There were 29 2-year-old filly trotters dropped in the box causing three divisions, while 16 2-year-old colt trotters split into two fields of eight.

The two headliners of the colt division, Big Chocolate and Vic Smith, drew into separate events.

Big Chocolate (Chocolatier-Shez Mine) is coming off a game second in the $79,900 Historic at Vernon Downs, and has yet to miss the board in banking $126,745 through six lifetime starts. The colt was a game third in the $400,000 Peter Haughton earlier this year on Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands. Big Chocolate is trained and driven by Homer Hochstetler for Richard Keys. He is rated as 6-5 on the morning line and will leave from post one in the tenth race.

Vic Smith (Yankee Glide-PJ Naomi) arrives in Lexington undefeated in four career starts, including a win in the $175,000 New Jersey Sires Stakes final at the Meadowlands in July. He is trained by Julie Miller and Dave Magee will be in town to handle the driving assignment. The lightly raced colt has already put $113,250 on his card for the Andy Miller Stable and Baron Racing Stable. He is rated as 7-5 on the morning line and will leave from post one in the 11th race.

The three $10,000 filly divisions appear to be wide open and great betting opportunities, and will go as three of the legs of the Pick-4 wager which begins in race six.

Live racing continues at The Red Mile every Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with the $2 million Kentucky Sire Stakes ‘Night of Champions’ slated for this Sunday (September 11).