Gordon Waterstone

Lexington, KY — Nine days after posting a career-best 1:51.1 victory in the second round of the Kentucky Sires Stakes Championship Series for 3-year-old filly trotters at The Red Mile, Selfie Queen will line up in the outside post six as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line in Tuesday afternoon’s (Aug. 23) third leg.

Selfie Queen beat eight rivals last time out, but this time she will face just five foes in the $80,000 contest that is scheduled as race five.

While Selfie Queen won five of 12 starts last year at two, including the $250,000 KYSS final, it took her until her fifth start of 2022 as a sophomore to reach the winner’s circle.

“She had knee surgery on her left front leg between her 2- and 3-year-old year, so coming back from the surgery took a little time,” explained Nancy Takter, who trains the daughter of Muscle Hill for owners Robert Leblanc, David Anderson and John Fielding.

Selfie Queen won five of 12 starts last year at two, including the $250,000 KYSS final. Amanda Stephens photo.

Selfie Queen was a $170,000 yearling purchase (as Lakewood Manor) whose maternal family include Canne Angus, the dam of several standout trotters including Cameron Hall and Canland Hall. Takter admits Selfie Queen, who has $290,750 in career earnings, hasn’t been the easiest to work with from day one. As many times as she’s reached the winner’s circle, she’s also made a break, including in last year’s Mohawk Million at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

“She’s a little difficult, and she was a little difficult last year,” she said. “I’ve said this all along, that 95 percent of the time she races against herself. If she doesn’t beat herself she’s very competitive. When she runs, bad horses will beat her. But she’s definitely good against the best horses; she’s proven that time and time again when she minds her manners.”

Three-time Driver of the Year Dexter Dunn will direct Selfie Queen in Tuesday’s KYSS contest. Dunn has been behind Selfie Queen in five of her six career wins. Yannick Gingras, who will drive the 2-1 morning-line favorite Bare My Soul in the race, garnered the other victory.

“She’s the type of horse that you have to know her, and Dex has always got along great with her,” said Takter. “Unfortunately he would never commit to her last year.”

Five of Selfie Queen’s victories have also come at The Red Mile.

“She likes the clay track, it’s probably a little more forgiving for her,” said Takter, noting that the filly trotter has a full plate left on her schedule this year, including the Kentucky Filly Futurity and Breeders Crown.

Also on tap Tuesday and kicking off the 13-race program that gets underway at 1 p.m. is the lone $80,000 KYSS Championship Series leg for 3-year-old male pacers. Pepsi North America Cup champ Pebble Beach will start from post three in this third-round event with driver Todd McCarthy after suffering an upset loss last time out in leg two to I Did It Myway. In that race, McCarthy and Pebble Beach held the lead until late stretch when his brother, Andrew McCarthy, guided I Did It Myway past to score by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:48.2.