Oak Grove, KY — Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel hosted the inaugural editions of the $500,000 Oak Grove Trotting Derby and $300,000 Oak Grove Trotting Oaks on Preakness Saturday (May 16), which saw Spencer Hanover emerge supreme from a game stretch battle in the Oak Grove Trotting Derby as well as a powerhouse performance by Jailbird Jog to take the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks.
Driver Jason Bartlett masterfully steered Spencer Hanover to a track-record-equaling 1:51.3 to slide by 2-5 favorite Endurance (driven by Andy McCarthy) and win the Oak Grove Trotting Derby.
Leaving from the pylon post, Bartlett settled toward the middle of the pack and worked a seat right behind Endurance as Silverstein hustled out of post 9 to lead into a :26.2 first quarter. With longshot Geologic (Marvin Luna) parked and attempting to push forward from midpack on the rim, McCarthy was forced to angle Endurance off the pylons moving to the second turn and advance toward Silverstein on the march to a :54.4 half. Bartlett caught cover from Endurance heading for the backstretch and strode comfortably perched while the odds-on favorite gradually ground by tiring Silverstein to three-quarters in 1:22.4.
Endurance remained on the muscle but fatigued turning for home as Bartlett tipped outside to lay his attack, and he surged by with fresh legs to snag victory by a half-length. Endurance fought to hold his ground but settled for second while Requiem (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) rallied for third and Ai (Yannick Gingras) weaved from a pocket trip for fourth.
“In the first turn, it was a battle between me and Andrew (McCarthy), who wanted to follow who,” winning driver Bartlett said after the race. “Me, Marcus (Melander) and Mattias (Melander) last week said we hoped we could get the second-over trip behind Endurance next week. (Spencer Hanover) loves a target and he’s just a good horse.”
Marcus Melander trains Spencer Hanover, a 3-year-old colt by Chapter Seven-Secret Passion, for owners Jeff Snyder and Arthur Pronti. He won his fifth race from 15 starts in his career, earning $924,889, and paid $10.28 to win. His win in 1:51.3 tied the track record for 3-year-old trotting colts set in the Oak Grove Trotting Derby eliminations by Endurance.
Jailbird Jog (Anthony MacDonald) capitalized stylishly off quick early fractions the race before to blow out her competition with a 7-3/4-length romp in the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks.
MacDonald settled into seventh from post 2 behind a :26.2 skirmish to the first quarter, in which Victorianas Secret (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) came out on top of the shuffle to lead the field by the grandstand first time. Victorianas Secret carried her momentum to a :54.3 half, at which point MacDonald had Jailbird Jog rolling three wide around parked and tiring Little Road (Brady Brown) to loop into contention. She caught cover from Carve (Andy McCarthy), who pulled off the pylons from third, into the backstretch and bided her time following the helmet to three-quarters in 1:23. Once Carve cleared, Jailbird Jog zipped by and quickly widened to an open-length lead before coasting by the beam geared down for a 1:52.2 win, equaling her lifetime best. Victorianas Secret held second with maiden Chiquita Ba-beeman (Scott Zeron) grabbing third and Custom (Jason Bartlett) recovering from a break at the start for fourth.
“I looked right leaving the gate and everybody’s fired up and leaving, and coming to the half I know Toddy’s horse (Naked And Famous) was in a tight spot, and it’s racing (so) I’m not going to let him out,” winning driver MacDonald said after the race. “I put her in gear in the backstretch and she’s just a super nice filly; she’s very unassuming. When you look at her, you’d never think she’s that fast, but she’s crazy fast. The filly’s just been a real treat for us and all of our clients. I’m just really happy for them. Anybody could’ve driven her today, that’s for sure; I didn’t do anything special.”
Eric Patalan trains Jailbird Jog, a 3-year-old filly by Tactical Landing-Miss Don Fanucci S, for owners Thestable Jailbird Jog, P23 Bloodstock and Hutchison Harness LLC. She won her fifth race from 14 starts, earning $298,532, and paid $18.22 to win.
The Oak Grove Trotting Derby also had a $75,000 consolation on the undercard won handily by 1-5 favorite Big Ranger (Ronnie Gillespie, $2.40 to win), who took his competition pillar to post in a lifetime-best 1:52.3 mile. Dexter Dunn swept the pair of consolations for the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks with Brattitude ($4.82) taking the $50,000 Bronze consolation in 1:54.2 and Decreed ($6.46) winning the $75,000 Silver consolation in 1:53.3.
The $1.5-million day of racing at Oak Grove to conclude the $2.75 million Festival of Racing began with the first of four $100,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) finals for 4-year-olds. Gimpanzee Dancer (Andy McCarthy) capitalized on a pocket trip from odds-on favorite Go Dog Go (Todd McCarty) bobbling off stride into the last turn to win the KYSS final for trotting horses and geldings in 1:51.3 over 37-1 shot Royal Comet (Marvin Luna) and 15-1 shot My Degenerate (Tyler Miller). Chris Beaver trains and co-owns the 4-year-old stallion by Gimpanzee-Weslynn Dancer with partners Carolina Acosta and Derek Ivany. He won his 10th race from 35 starts, earning $439,667, and paid $10.02 to win.
Harrisburg Heist (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) motored by weary rivals to deliver as the 1-5 favorite in the KYSS final for 4-year-old pacing horses and geldings, stopping the clock in 1:48.4. Following a recall before the race, Wrenn sat third as stablemate Banderas (Yannick Gingras) battled with Higher Ground (Dexter Dunn) through early splits of :25.3 and :53.3. As the dust settled, Wrenn fired Harrisburg Heist off the pegs and brushed to the lead with a sharp sprint to three-quarters in 1:20.2. He held momentum through the lane to register a 4-1/2-length win over Banderas with Captain Arturovico (Scott Zeron) closing for third and Fusion (Todd McCarthy) taking fourth.
Ron Burke trains Harrisburg Heist, a gelding by Downbytheseaside-Cashaway, for owners Burke Racing Stable, Knox Services Inc., Phil Collura and Weaver Bruscemi. The gelding won his 15th race from 34 starts, has now earned $650,202 and paid $2.76 to win.
Three Times Bettor (Dexter Dunn) persisted through a methodical first-over push in a quick tempo to score a track-record equaling 1:48.3 win in hand in the KYSS final for 4-year-old pacing mares. Dunn tipped his charge out of third after following a clip of :25.4 and :53.1 and inched comfortably toward pacesetter Odds On Chesapeake (Todd McCarthy) rolling to three-quarters in 1:20. As Odds On Chesapeake began to tire, Three Times Bettor grabbed the lead and scooted away confidently for a length win over pocket-sitter Aintnothingucando (Scott Zeron) zipping up a seam at the pylons for second. Unreasonable (Jason Bartlett) followed the winner’s cover to take third while Odds On Chesapeake held fourth.
Brett Pelling trains Three Times Bettor, a mare by Bettor’s Delight-Three Times A Lady, for owner Thaddeus Wier. She won her 12th race from 20 starts, earning $263,814 in her career, and paid $2.50 to win. Her 1:48.3 win equaled the track record for older pacing mares set in 2022 by Blue Diamond Eyes.
Last season’s leading driver Marvin Luna orchestrated the biggest surprise of the day when he got Aperfect Annie, the longest shot on the board at 58-1, to edge by odds-on favorite Yo Tillie (Todd McCarthy) in the KYSS final for 4-year-old trotting mares. Luna procured the pocket seat to Yo Tillie passing a :27.2 first quarter and followed intently through a :56.2 half and 1:23.4 three-quarters. Winnpanzee (Yannick Gingras) mounted a blitz out of third to the far turn but jumped off stride, leaving Yo Tillie seemingly to herself turning for home. McCarthy asked his charge to quicken and drifted off the pylons when reaching for the finish, giving Luna ample room to accelerate by late with Aperfect Annie and land a neck in front in a 1:52.2 mile. Longshots Best Friends Girl (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) and Grand Reserve (Scott Zeron) finished third and fourth, respectively.
Carter Pinske, who led all trainers on the day with three wins including his sweep of the Trotting Oaks consolations, trains Aperfect Annie for owners Pinske Stables, Melvin Hartman and Andray Farm. The daughter of Googoo Gaagaa-Asixpakfromperfect won her seventh race from 28 starts in her career, earning $496,514, and paid $119.62 to win.
Live racing at Oak Grove resumes on Monday (May 18) with a 13-race card headlined by a $30,000 Open Handicap Pace, carded as Race 4. With the major upset by Aperfect Annie on the Saturday card, the $1 Pick-4 with a guaranteed pool went unclaimed, leaving a carryover of $11,542.62 into the Monday sequence, which covers the last four races on the program. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:10 p.m. (CDT).