by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Always B Miki and He’s Watching on Saturday will appear in the same race for the first time since the Meadowlands Pace in July, and Joe Hurley is looking forward to their next round.

Hurley bred and co-owns Always B Miki, who finished second to He’s Watching in the Meadowlands Pace despite starting from post nine and racing on the outside — three to four wide at times — the entire way. He’s Watching won the race with a world-record-equaling 1:46.4 performance.

The two horses meet Saturday in the first of two $218,300 Tattersalls Pace divisions for 3-year-old male pacers at The Red Mile in Lexington. Always B Miki, trained by Joe Holloway, starts from post No. 1 with driver David Miller. He’s Watching, trained by Dave Menary, starts from post four with Tim Tetrick at the lines.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Always B Miki paced to a career-best 1:47.4 win in his division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile.

“I’ve already got it planned out in my mind, but Dave Miller will probably do something entirely different than what I would do,” Hurley said. “They’ll be 1-2 going to the top of the stretch, and then we’ll see. Miki’s on top, Tetrick’s in the two hole. Then we’ll see who can turn it on, and Miki never stops.”

Always B Miki, named after Hurley’s wife, comes into the Tattersalls off a career-best 1:47.4 win last weekend in his division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile. He won by 6-1/4 lengths over Melmerby Beach, pulling away thanks to a :25.3 final quarter-mile. No horse came home faster that day.

“I thought it was consistent with everything he’s done that nobody’s noticed because it’s in Indiana,” Hurley said, referring to Always B Miki having spent the time since the Meadowlands Pace at Hoosier Park. “He’s been racing there in hand. He’s a monster.”

Always B Miki has won eight of 15 races this year and finished worse than second only three times. He has earned $432,332 for Hurley and fellow owners Bluewood Stable and Val D’Or Farms. Since the Meadowlands Pace, the colt has raced six times, winning five. In those victories, no horse was nearer than 4-1/2 lengths of Always B Miki at the wire.

Hurley, who races as Roll The Dice Stable, bred Always B Miki’s father and mother. His sire, Always A Virgin, won more than $1 million in his career for Hurley, Bluewood Stable and Val D’Or Farms. His dam, Artstopper, was unraced but is a half-sister to stakes-winner Cheyenne Rei and also produced $714,154-earner Yagonnakissmeornot. The family also includes stakes-winners Ain’t No Stopn Him and Lon Todd Hanover.

“Virgin was terrific, but Miki is incredibly terrific fantastic,” Hurley said. “He’s absolutely the best horse I’ve had. I think everybody (in the ownership group) agrees this is the best ever.

“His stride is just incredible. He’s had very bad luck with some things that have happened, either by nature or by fate. Now he’s getting a chance to show himself and he’s just absolutely fantastic.”

Always B Miki’s schedule following the Tattersalls includes the Indiana Sire Stakes championship and the Circle City at Hoosier Park. He could be supplemented to the Matron Stakes and is likely to be supplemented to the Breeders Crown.

“I’m looking forward to taking on the best and proving that he is the best,” Hurley said. “Hopefully we end up on top at the end of the year.”

In the Tattersalls Pace second division, North America Cup winner JK Endofanera, who handed Always B Miki his only loss in his last six starts, takes on a field that includes Little Brown Jug runner-up Let’s Drink On It.

There also are two divisions of the Glen Garnsey Memorial for 3-year-old female pacers. The first division is headlined by stakes-winners Uffizi Hanover and Gettingreadytoroll, both from the stable of Jimmy Takter, and New York Sire Stakes champion It Was Fascination.

In the second division, the top five finishers in a Bluegrass Stakes division last week — Gallie Bythe Beach, Act Now, Beach Gal, Ali Blue, and Allstar Rating — meet again.

Action for 2-year-olds includes four divisions of the International Stallion Stakes for male pacers, where Artspeak puts his perfect 7-for-7 record on the line in the third of the splits.