Lexington, KY — Rumble And Sway splashed decisively along the mud to lead every step for a 1:51.4 victory in the first of three $89,300 Bluegrass Stakes divisions for 2-year-old pacing males on Friday afternoon (Oct. 2) at The Red Mile.
Driver Tim Tetrick asserted Rumble And Sway from the pylon post to seize the lead into the first turn and locked the race down after a :28.1 first quarter. The Brett Pelling pupil strolled up the backstretch to a :56.1 half and separated from his peers through the final turn, clocking three-quarters in 1:24.2. In the stretch, Rumble And Sway widened his advantage under minimal encouragement from Tetrick and crossed the line 5-1/2 lengths in front of Fairway To Heaven (driven by Andy McCarthy), who split through traffic for second. Pocket-sitter Eloun Musk (Todd McCarthy) levelled off for third and Jidoo Bythesea (Yannick Gingras) closed from last for fourth.
“He’s quite a light horse and he’s a beautiful pacer,” Brett Pelling said after the race. “Travels over top of the ground. I’m watching and listening to them all warm up and one thing I noticed when he went by [was] I didn’t hear him, so I thought he might have a little edge on the conditions today.”
A gelding by Sweet Lou out of Western Terror mare Apple Of My Pie, Rumble And Way competes for owners Pelling Racing LLC, David Van Duesn, Canamerica Capital Corp. and Pryde & Wienick Racing. He won his third race from six starts, has accrued $167,650 in earnings and returned $4.20 to win.
Tony Dinges trainee Blazin Lou (Todd McCarthy) put together a similar front-stepping effort from the pylon draw in the second Bluegrass dash for a 1:52.2 score as the 8-5 favorite.
McCarthy protected position to take command with Blazin Lou to a :28.1 first quarter and faced minimal pressure in the backstretch to a :56.1 half. He continued unfettered on the lead through the last turn to three-quarters in 1:24.3 and coasted home to win by 1-1/2 lengths while chased by Grandline Station (Joe Bongiorno), who skimmed through an inside seam to give pursuit for second. Vandros (Tim Tetrick) emerged from a ground-saving trip for third and pocket-sitter Hungry Marco (Scott Zeron) faltered to fourth.
“Front’s been a good spot today I think,” Todd McCarthy said after the race. “He raced really good – full credit to Tony there. It was a pretty good mile on that sticky track.”
Blazin Lou competes for owner Rick Berks. The Sweet Lou colt, out of Rocknroll Hanover mare Beautiful Lady, won his third race from nine starts this season and has now earned $105,050. He paid $5.38 to win.
Ron Burke trainee Stonebridge Blitz (Yannick Gingras) broke his maiden in the final Bluegrass dash for freshman pacing males when foiling his stablemate, fellow maiden and 9-5 favorite Ocean Party, in a 1:52.2 mile.
Gingras obliged to sit second when leaving from the pylon post as Ocean Party loomed forward out of post 6 to take command to a :28 first quarter. Stonebridge Blitz steadily drafted through a :56.2 half, and slowly lifted off the pylons rounding the last turn and approaching three-quarters in 1:24.3. The Burke pair sparred all down the stretch with Stonebridge Blitz overpowering Ocean Party in the final yards to win by a head with Dog Dare You (Dexter Dunn) chasing from third and Reflector (Todd McCarthy) rallying over the top from near last for fourth.
“This was a really nice looking colt,” said winning co-owner Larry Karr. “He trained down great and he’s been knocking at the door against some of the top ones, but he’s a little bit hard to steer. I thought he was a lot more manageable today; Yannick gave him a good trip.”
Stonebridge Blitz, a gelding by Tall Dark Stranger out of Sweet Lou mare and Ron Burke graduate Shouldabeenatd, competes for owners Burke Racing Stable, Larry Karr, Mark Rosenthal and Frank Baldachino. He collected his first victory in the ninth start of his career, has now banked $113,692 and paid $8.16 to win.
The first and third division of the Bluegrass Stakes for 2-year-old pacing males were sponsored by the Stay Hungry Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. The second Bluegrass Stakes division was sponsored by Kountry Lane Standardbreds.
Live harness racing at The Red Mile resumes on Saturday (Oct. 3) with a 13-race card headlined by the 134th edition of the $575,000 Grade 1 Kentucky Futurity, carded as the last race of the day and scheduled to broadcast nationally on Fox Sports 2. The Saturday card, co-headlined by the $300,000 Grade 1 Kentucky Filly Futurity and a pair of Bluegrass dashes for pacing sophomores of both sexes, will also feature three guaranteed wagers with a $7,500 guaranteed Pick 5 starting in Race 3, a $5,000 guaranteed Pick 4 starting in Race 6 and a $10,000 guaranteed Pick 4 starting in Race 10. Both the Pick 5 and the Pick 4 at The Red Mile are offered at an industry low takeout of 12 percent.
First-race post time is 1 p.m. (EDT). For more information on the 2026 live harness racing season, visit The Red Mile website: https://www.redmileracing.com