Lexington, KY — World champion Lifetime Dreamer, who set the global mark for 2-year-old trotting geldings with a 1:51.1 victory on Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands, returned to the winner’s circle with an open-length victory on Thursday afternoon (Oct. 1) in the first $91,000 Bluegrass division – sponsored by the Captain Corey Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms – of four splits for 2-year-old trotting males at the Red Mile.
Driver Yannick Gingras sent Lifetime Dreamer forward out of post 6 and wrangled his charge into second as long shot Mahalo (driven by Scott Zeron) led past a :29.1 first quarter. Gingras maintained a tight grip up the backstretch to keep Lifetime Dreamer nestled behind the leader to a :57 half. But once favorite Mats (Dexter Dunn) lifted from fourth to push up the rim, Gingras edged out of second and surged for the lead to three-quarters in 1:25.1. Lifetime Dreamer motored through the stretch and separated from his peers to romp by 6 lengths with Mats giving chase in second. Mahalo settled for third and Back Country (David Miller) took fourth.
“He has been good all along,” said Sarah Svanstedt of the winning Åke Svanstedt trainee. “Tough racing up in New Jersey, but he has a heart that wants to race and an attitude, so that goes a long way. I really like him. I mean he went [1:]51[.1], and not many 2-year-olds do that. He reminds us about [his sire, Ecurie D DK] – his character and his attitude. It’s always nice to see them when you’ve trained the family before.”
A gelding by Ecurie D DK out of Walner mare Lifetime Gift, Lifetime Dreamer has now won three races from seven starts and earned $170,500 for owners Åke Svanstedt, Brittany Farms, Bruni Racing Team and Suleyman Yuksel Stables. He paid $6.46 to win.
Fellow Åke Svanstedt trainee Yankee Boss tied for the fastest mile of the four dashes when he withstood a persistent stretch bid from 3-2 favorite Whateverittakes As to win the third dash, sponsored by Kentuckiana Farms, by a nose in 1:52.
Floating out of post 7, Yankee Boss (Tim Tetrick) raced wide from the middle of the pack to a :27.3 first quarter and continued to march up the rim in the backstretch to take the lead from long shot stablemate Red Storm Hanover (Åke Svanstedt) past a :55.3 half. Carbon Fiber (Gingras) inched forward uncovered to the far turn and prompted Whateverittakes As (Tony Hall) to swing off the pylons from third to avoid a shuffle and press for the front. Whateverittakes As loomed alongside Yankee Boss to three-quarters in 1:23.3 and stayed at the leader’s throat all through the homestretch before giving way late for a narrow defeat. Opposition (Andy McCarthy) rallied for third and Red Storm Hanover took fourth.
“He raced super [in the Peter Haughton Memorial]; he just had a bad post and was very far back, but as an individual he raced unbelievably great that day,” said Jonathan Roberts, winning co-owner of Yankee Boss through Kiwi Stables LLC. “He absolutely earned every step of that race and we’re extremely proud of how hard he fought there.”
Kiwi Stables LLC shares ownership of Yankee Boss, a Captain Corey colt out of Muscle Hill mare Brigit Of Kildare, with Graham Grace Stables LLC. The colt has now won three races from eight starts, earned $175,726 and paid $6.64 to win.
Nancy Takter trainee Presidente (Gingras) matched the quickest mark of the four Bluegrass divisions for freshman trotting males with a 1:52 victory in the fourth and final split of the day, sponsored by the Greenshoe Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.
Gingras secured the lead with Presidente out of post 3 briefly to a :28.2 first quarter before relinquishing control to Top Reacher (Zeron) entering the backstretch. Presidente followed the leader intently to a :55.4 half as Jimdougie Armitage (Åke Svanstedt), pulling off the pylons from fifth, continued to progress up the rim when failing to bait any cover. Despite cutting the air after the leader, Jimdougie Armitage drew to equal terms with Top Reacher to three-quarters in 1:24.2 and edged to the lead rounding for home. Gingras squeezed out of the pocket with Presidente to swing three-wide and then lay aim on Jimdougie Armitage in the stretch to mount a successful bid to the finish, scoring by a neck. Jimdougie Armitage settled for second with End Result (Dunn) closing from a ground-saving trip for third and Top Reacher settling for fourth.
“He’s a really nice colt; he has a lot of ability,” Takter said after the race. “I still think he’s a little bit green – he really hasn’t figured out that he’s supposed to charge all the way to the wire. But he’s definitely improving. I was very happy with him today. [Now] we’ll go to the Breeders Crown.”
Presidente competes for owners Black Horse Racing, Moni Maker Stable, Pryde Stables and Erik Anderberg. The colt by Walner, out of the Donato Hanover mare Grandma’s Moni, won his second race from eight starts and pushed his bankroll to $231,898. He paid $2.98 to win.
Command Center (Dunn), half brother to 2026 Hambletonian winner Apex, returned to the winner’s circle in the second Bluegrass division – sponsored by Al Libfeld Equine – after livening up in a late stretch battle from a loose lead to win in 1:54.
Dunn settled Command Center, the 4-5 favorite, into fourth from the pylon post while Friday Night Fats (David Miller) pushed from the outermost draw in the octet for the lead to a :28.2 first quarter. Friday Night Fats cleared command entering the backstretch, at which point Dunn tipped off the pylons and brushed forward to seize control with Command Center approaching a :57 half. He accelerated on the point through the last turn and opened several lengths on his competition clocking by three-quarters in 1:25.1, but wavered while alone on the lead in the lane. Nights In Miami (Marvin Luna) ripped through a seam at the inside to press Command Center late, though the favorite reengaged once confronted to the finish to hold firmly for the win by a neck. Special Day (Andy McCarthy) finished third from a first-over move in the last turn while New Hope (Joe Bongiorno) followed his cover for fourth.
“He’s a really nice colt, but he did get a little lost halfway up the straight,” Dunn said after the race. “I had to ease him and a lot of talking to him, but he got back to it when I asked him.”
Marcus Melander trains Command Center, a two-time winner from six starts with $135,100 banked, for owners S R F Stable, Holly Lane Stud East Ltd. and Steve Stewart. The colt by Gimpanzee, out of world champion mare and Red Mile track-record holder Mission Brief, paid $3.94 to win.
Live harness racing at the Red Mile resumes on Friday (Oct. 2) with seven total Bluegrass divisions: four splits for the $377,000 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Filly Trot and three dashes for the $267,900 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace. First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT).
For more information on the 2026 live harness racing season, visit the Red Mile website.