by Tom LaMarra, for The Red Mile

Lexington, KY — Hopelessly buried when the field turned for home, Thereal Ideal found clear sailing along the pylons and flew home to a $181.20 upset on Sunday night (September 4) in the $10,000 elimination for next week’s $200,000 Nadia Lobell final for three-year-old filly pacers at The Red Mile.

With Brendan Johnson driving, Thereal Ideal sat well back in the 10 filly field as heavily favored Arts Bid and Born Storyteller battled through fractions of :27 for the quarter, :54.1 for the half and 1:23.1 for the three-quarters. As the early leaders faded, the field bunched up. Latte Lady, another longshot, rallied on the far outside for Jason Dillander and appeared a winner, but it was Thereal Ideal who got the jump on her from the inside.

Thereal Ideal, who won the not-listed-preferred at The Red Mile last week versus older mares, is owned by Adam Victor and Son Stable and Smart Money Stables. By Western Ideal, Thereal Ideal won for the second time in six starts this season.

The top seven finishers will make the Nadia Lobell Final. Along with Thereal Ideal and Latte Lady, they are Ty Chi Hanover, Cheyenne Adrienne, Modern Medicine, Ideal Coast and Born Storyteller. The highest earning three-year-old fillies in North America — Cabrini Hanover, Chotat Milk and Just Wait Kate — will get “byes” into the final.

It was bombs away on the tote board in the elimination. The $2 superfecta payoff of $75,902 is believed to be a Red Mile record. Information wasn’t immediately available, but the winning ticket appeared to be of the 10 cent variety.

In other action on Sunday night, trainer Jimmy Takter drove two of his two-year-old colt trotters, Capetown Hall and Limbo Glide, to impressive victories.

In a $15,000 event for Lexington Breeders Classic eligibles, Capetown Hall took over early and was never threatened en route to a four length, 1:58.4 victory over Pacific Chief and Main Street Hall. It was the third victory in five career starts for Capetown Hall, a Garland Lobell colt who is owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Glen Brown and Margaret Oweida.

In a $4,000 early closing event for two-year-old colt and gelding trotters, Limbo Glide trotted to his earlier Lexington qualifiers with a strong first-up victory in 1:59.1 over fast-closing Tiki Time. Bench Coach was third.

Limbo Glide, by Yankee Glide, is owned by Christina Takter and Misty Trotting. He won his first two qualifiers by a combined 33 and a quarter lengths, then broke in his first start and finished fourth in his second start on a sloppy track.