by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile

Lexington, KY — Kiwi sensation turned North American phenomenon Lazarus N will make his fifth start in the west of the Atlantic when he faces nine challengers in the $179,000 Mister Big Allerage Farms Pace, sponsored by Muscara Standardbreds, on Saturday (Oct. 6) at The Red Mile.

A 6-year-old stallion by Bettor’s Delight, Lazarus N shipped to trainer Jimmy Takter towards the end of May. He paced his first mile on American soil in a qualifier at The Meadowlands on July 28, going in 1:48.3 with a :25.3 final quarter. He has since won the $325,000 Dan Patch Invitational and $177,000 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby and finished second in the $462,000 Canadian Pacing Derby and a $26,180 Preferred Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Taylor Made Stallions, a Thoroughbred consignment, purchased Lazarus N in early May from trainer Mark Purdon with the intent of lowering Always B Miki’s 1:46 world record, established in the Allerage at The Red Mile in 2016, in the same race as his stablemate. The winner of 37 races in 49 starts and more than $3 million in earnings races from post five with Yannick Gingras in the bike.

Will Take Charge, off an eighth-place finish in the $150,000 Dayton Trotting Derby after losing stride, leads the field of seven racing in the $145,000 What The Hill Allerage Farms Trot, sponsored by Jeff and Paula Gural. A winner of nine races from 20 starts this season and 21 from 70 overall, the Jeff Gillis-trained 5-year-old gelding by Kadabra has earned $840,866 for owner Mac Nichol.

Tim Tetrick, who steered Will Take Charge to a second-place finish in the $286,650 John Cashman Jr. Memorial and a 1:51.2 four length victory in the $186,000 Crawford Farms Trot, will sit in the bike from post three.

Wisdom Tree, entering off a 1:53.2 victory in the $225,000 New York Sires Stakes final, fronts the opening division of the $225,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial for 3-year-old pacing fillies, sponsored by Diamond Creek Farms, from post four with Matt Kakaley in the bike for owner-trainer Jeff Cullipher and co-owner Thomas Pollack. Winning 11 races from 14 starts this year, including a lifetime-best 1:49.4 win in the $142,000 Nadia Lobell at Hoosier Park, the 3-year-old filly by Betterthancheddar has earned $447,445.

The big three sophomore pacing fillies, Youaremycandygirl, Kissin In The Sand and Alexa’s Power, congregate in the other split of the Garnsey. In their last meeting Youaremycandygirl, a millionaire filly by American Ideal trained by Ron Burke for owner William Donovan, won by a nose in the $96,600 Shady Daisy on Hambletonian Day at The Meadowlands. Youaremycandygirl will make her first start since breaking in the $230,700 Jugette, won by Alexa’s Power, and will start from post four with Yannick Gingras behind.

Kissin In The Sand won the lone split of the Bluegrass filly pace as the 1-9 favorite under wraps in the 1:50 mile. The Nancy Johansson-trained filly by Somebeachsomewhere, owned by Marvin Katz and Hatfield Stables, was second to Youaremycandygirl in the Shady Daisy but out-finished her when Shower Play stormed home to take the $114,757 Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Sept. 8. Scott Zeron gets the drive from post six behind the winner of 16 races in 27 starts and $904,795 in earnings.

Alexa’s Power, third by a neck in the Shady Daisy, races from post seven with Tim Tetrick driving for owners Jeff and Michael Snyder and trainer Jim Campbell. The Somebeachsomewhere filly, with nine wins from 16 starts this season and 12 from 29 overall, has amassed $520,545 in earnings and enters off a 1:51.2 win as the favorite in the Jugette.

Freshman pacing colts occupy most of the Saturday program with five divisions of the $312,000 Captaintreacherous International Stallion Stakes, sponsored by the Captaintreacherous Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms, on tap.

Brian Brown’s undefeated Captaintreacherous colt Workin Ona Mystery goes for his fifth consecutive win when starting from post eight in the opening division. Racing for James Stambaugh, Alan Keith, Milton Leeman and Wingfield Brothers Workin Ona Mystery enters off a 2-1/2 length, 1:50.3 victory in his division of the Bluegrass, which pushed him towards $70,000 in earnings. Tim Tetrick sits at the reins.

Runner-up to Stag Party in the $685,300 Metro Pace, Semi Tough ships to Lexington and starts from post one in the second ISS split. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi, the colt by Somebeachsomewhere has only one win to his credit from eight starts — a 1:51.1 win in a division of Pennsylvania Sires Stakes — and $264,464 in earnings. Matt Kakaley will drive.

Formerly-undefeated Captain Ahab, handed his first loss with a last-place finish in the Metro Pace, returns to the track in the third ISS division, starting from post six with Andrew McCarthy in the bike. The Tony Alagna-trained colt by Captaintreacherous entered the Metro unbeaten in seven starts, with wins including a $70,938 division of the Nassagaweya, a $53,982 division of the Champlain and his Metro Pace elimination, all good for more than $100,000 in earnings. He races for owners Brittany Farms, Brad Grant, Vincent Barbera and Captain Ahab Racing.

Losing as the 1-9 favorite in his Bluegrass division, Proof comes back to Lexington in the fourth ISS division. A winner of five races in eight starts, the Brian Brown-trained A Rocknroll Dance colt has accrued $278,495 in earnings mostly on the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes circuit — including his 1:51 upset in the $253,000 championship. David Miller gets the drive for owner Diamond Creek Racing.

Covered Bridge leads the final ISS split after shooting off cover in his Bluegrass division and pacing home in :25.4 to post a lifetime-best 1:52 victory. Competing for owners David Smith and James Giannuzzi, the Jessica Okusko-trained American Ideal gelding has three wins overall from 11 starts and $116,259 in earnings. David Miller will sit in the sulky from post four.

Saturday’s Grand Circuit program, the penultimate of the fortnight meeting, gets underway with first-race post at 1 p.m. (EDT).