Lexington, KY – Homebred Sweet Lou-Looksgoodinaromper filly Loua Dipa, fresh from a Canadian-record 1:49.1 romp in the Grade 1 She’s A Great Lady at Woodbine Mohawk Park, flies south to compete in the second of three divisions for the $214,000 International Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old pacing fillies on the Friday (Oct. 3) card at The Red Mile.
Loua Dipa, a Ron Burke pupil who has only missed the board once in nine starts when finishing fifth in the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final on Sept. 5, starts from post 6 as the 3-5 morning line favorite in Race 6, a division named “The Stockade Seelster” sponsored by Cornerstone Stock Farm. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. retains the drive on the filly after guiding her to a 4-1/2-length win going away in the She’s A Great Lady, which was Wrenn Jr.’s third win on Canadian soil from three starts this year; his other wins came in the elimination and the CA$1,000,000 final of the Grade 1 Pepsi North America Cup with Louprint.
Freshman pacing fillies begin their afternoon of stakes action in Race 4, a division of “The Tall Dark Stranger” sponsored by the Tall Dark Stranger Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. Ron Burke again sends the morning line chalk, this time with a Sweet Lou-Benear filly I’m A Lou Lou from post 7 with Tim Tetrick in the bike. She ships south following a seventh-place defeat to stablemate Loua Dipa in the She’s A Great Lady final, but before flying to Canada she cashed a second-place check with a 1:52.1 effort in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final. Her competition in the eight-horse field also includes Brian Brown trainee Gracious, a filly by Captaintreacherous-L A Delight entering from a runner-up effort behind Kentucky Championship Series winner Topville Lucky in an $82,000 Bluegrass division last week. Todd McCarthy will drive the filly from post 3 as she tries to break her maiden in the seventh start of her career.
Topville Lucky will try to ring another tally on her win streak when leaving from post 8 in the final division for pacing fillies, carded as Race 10 and also named “The Tall Dark Stranger.” Dexter Dunn drives the Sweet Lou-Warrawee Winx filly looking for her fifth win in a row as well as her third straight since moving into the Andrew Harris barn via private purchase from Erv Miller and Doug Overhiser. The five-time winner from six starts, with her lone blemish coming from a break in stride in a Kentucky Championship Series division, competes as the 6-5 morning line favorite against a pair of Bluegrass division winners in Amira Hanover, leaving from post 3 for trainer-driver Joe Bongiorno, and Nash, starting from post 9 with Marvin Luna driving for trainer Tony Dinges.
The Friday card opens with the first of four divisions of the $291,000 International Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings – a division sponsored by the Six Pack Syndicate and Deo Volente Farms. Matt Burkholder’s Muscle Hill-Ostrich Blue Chip colt Requiem aims for a sweep of Grand Circuit action following a 1:52.3 victory as the 7-5 chalk in a Bluegrass division last week. David Miller pilots Requiem, the 6-5 morning line favorite, from post 6 in the seven-horse field.
William Wellwood Memorial champ Ardonne invades the red clay in the second division for trotting colts and geldings, carded as Race 3 and sponsored by the Walner Syndicate. The Megan Scran-trained Tactical Landing-Burberry colt scored a facile 1:52.4 win in the Grade 1 Wellwood in late August and then returned a month later in the Mohawk Million, where he sat off the speed and settled for fifth. Scott Zeron drives Ardonne from post 8, one slot wide of Marcus Melander trainee Zephyr Kemp – a third-place finisher in Bluegrass action last week – and two slots wide of Ake Svanstedt pupil Nordic Dancer S, a full brother to 2025 Hambletonian winner Nordic Catcher S looking to rebound from a tiring seventh-place effort in Bluegrass action last week. Melander will also send Nix Nacken, a Muscle Hill-Nixie Volo gelding who closed quickly for a runner-up finish in a Bluegrass division last week, from post 3 with brother Mattias Melander at the lines.
I’m Kronos S, a 1:52.3 winner in Bluegrass action last week, confronts Matt Burkholder trainee Silverstein, listed as the 9-5 morning line chalk, in the third division for freshman trotting males, which is sponsored by the Six Pack Syndicate and Deo Volente Farms. Trainer Ake Svanstedt stays in the bike on I’m Kronos S, a Walner-I’m Really Special colt who broke his maiden with his Bluegrass win last week, from the pylon post. Silverstein meanwhile lands post 4 off a pair of third-place finishes, one in the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final and the other in the Grade 1 Mohawk Million. David Miller will drive the Chapter Seven-Shining Brightly gelding.
The final International Stallion Stake for freshman trotting males – carded as Race 11 and sponsored by the Walner Syndicate – draws Bluegrass division winner Minoan, who will start from post 2 off his 1:52.4 romp at odds of 6-5. Todd McCarthy drives the Noel Daley-trained colt by Bar Hopping-Regal Woman in an eight-horse affair where trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt has the morning line choice with Mr Penner, a Captain Corey-Wet My Whistle gelding who finished third in his Bluegrass division with a 1:51.2 mile, starting from post 7. The race also features American Power, a Walner colt out of 2017 Hambletonian Oaks winner Ariana G who starts from post 3 off an open-length win in 1:53. David Miller drives the colt for trainer Marcus Melander.
Friday’s 13-race card also features a tremendous betting opportunity with the 50-cent Pick-5, which begins in Race 3. Due to a double carryover of the Saturday Pick-5s totaling $19,846.16, The Red Mile will guarantee a $75,000 pool for the Pick-5, which also features an industry-low takeout of 12 percent. Friday’s card also features a $7,500 guarantee on the Early Pick-4, which begins in Race 6 and also features an industry-low takeout of 12 percent.
First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m. (EDT).