Lexington, KY — On Monday (Aug. 11) Setyoursightshigh and Leading Lady illustrated why they are the early leaders in their divisions with triumphs in the $80,000 second round divisions for freshman filly trotters. The 16-race card also included three $30,000 second round divisions of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series, five $15,000 second round divisions of the Kentucky Golden Rod Series and four $10,000 second round divisions of the Kentucky Wildcat Series.
Setyoursightshigh, Leading Lady show the way in Kentucky Championship Series
Favored Setyoursightshigh posted her fourth consecutive win to possess a resume of 5-4-1-0 in the second division of this contest with Dexter Dunn at the controls in 1:54.1. Carve (Andrew McCarthy) was second and Godusa (Dan Noble) was third.
Leaving from the rail, Setyoursightshigh was in third for nearly three-quarters of the mile as Godusa assumed control from post position six, in a field reduced to six after two scratches. Godusa set splits of :30, :59 and 1:27 with Setyoursightshigh only a nose in arrears at that juncture.
Carve and Godusa both posted valiant efforts with :26.3 and :26.4 final fractions, yet Setyoursightshigh kicked home in :26.2 to annex another triumph.
Bred by Kentuckiana Farms, Setyoursightshigh is trained by Marcus Melander. She is owned by Heights Stable, Mantorp LLC, AMG Stable Inc., and K Kjellgren Livs AB Inc and was a $50,000 purchase at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
She paid $3.54 to win and has banked $215,000.
Yannick Gingras steered Leading Lady to a new lifetime mark of 1:53.1 for trainer Nancy Takter in the first division of this event as the public’s fifth selection in the field of six after the scratch of Ygritte for illness.
The daughter of Walner-Muscle Dolly sat comfortably in third position after leaving from post position three. Favorite Victorianas Secret (Scott Zeron) led the field through fractions of :29.2, :58 and 1;26.3 with Days Away (Jason Bartlett) tracking in second.
As the fillies turned for home, Gingras supplied his charge with her instructions, and she marched down the stretch with a :26 final quarter mile. Days Away maintained her position for second while Victorianas Secret picked up the show spot.
Bred by Marvin and Lynn Katz and Al Libfeld, Leading Lady atoned for a sixth-place finish in the $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final at The Meadowlands on Aug. 2.
The filly is now 3-2-0-0 and has banked $52,000 for owners Black Horse Racing, Marvin Katz and Herb Livermore.
She was a $110,000 selection at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Leading Lady provided her supporters with $14.62 at the windows.
Opulence, Lainey W, Lindy In My Dreams win Commonwealth Series divisions
Opulence and A. McCarthy took the first split of this series by a neck in 1:54.3 for trainer Tony Alagna. Creator (Dunn) was second and French Echo (Andy Miller) was third.
Owned by Princess Davna Racing and Riverview Racing LLC., the daughter of Walner-Evident Beauty bred by Melvin Hartman, Little E LLC., Steve Stewart and Maumee River Stables.
The filly is the third offspring from a 2019 O’Brien Award winner. Evident Beauty collected $805,301 and is by Trixton.
Opulence was a $300,000 purchase at last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and paid $14.74 to win.
Zeron and favored Lainey W held off Zaheera (A. McCarthy) by a nose in 1:54 in the second division. Rani Hanover (Jason Bartlett) completed the top three.
Trained by Marcus Melander, Lainey W is owned by Brittany Farms and Marvin and Lynn Katz. The daughter of Bar Hopping-The Black Beauty was selected for $125,000 from the 2024 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
She was bred by Kentuckiana Farms and Perry Soderberg and paid $5.98 to win.
Dunn and Lindy In My Dreams took the third division by a neck in 1:57 over Pub Party (Tim Tetrick) and Numanthia (Nicholas Roussel).
The daughter of Ready For Moni-Lindy Of My Dreams competes as a homebred for Lindy Farms.
She paid $3.38 to win as the favorite.
Fabulous Serenity kicks off Golden Rod and Wildcat Series victors
Fabulous Serenity (Tyler Jones, $36.22), Guinevere (Dunn, $3.82), Art Of The State (Zeron, $7.44), All Fancy Like (Dunn, $4.24) and R Perfect Goo (Tetrick, $$6.80) reigned supreme in the five Golden Rod divisions.
Our Secret (Zeron, $2.92), Harbor Of Grace (A. McCarthy, $11.94), R Zee (Zeron, $38.84) and Burningforyourlove (Tetrick, $35.14).
Racing will continue through Sunday (Oct. 5), following a Sunday through Wednesday schedule. Fans and horsemen can look forward to 5:05 p.m.post times on Sundays, and 1:00 p.m. post times on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays throughout the meet. Please be advised post times on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are subject to change due to the fluctuations in extreme heat and various other weather conditions across the nation.
The Red Mile will once again feature industry low takeout on the pari-mutuel side of things while offering fans a full buffet of wagering options including bookend daily double wagering exacta and trifecta wagering, 20 cent superfectas, Pick-3, Pick-4, Pick-5 and Pick-6 offerings and the Super Hi-5.
For more information on the upcoming draw schedule, promotional events, the live racing calendar, or free racing program pages, please visit www.redmileracing.com.