Oak Grove, KY — The 4-year-old Crazy Wow-Whimzical Britt gelding Whiskey Wow connected as one of five winners for driver Dexter Dunn on a day of Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) action at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Monday (May 25) and won with sensational speed to trot the fastest mile in the history of the Southwest Kentucky track.
Leaving from post five with a major scratch of Go Dog Go, Whiskey Wow slid towards the top and settled into rhythm through a :27 first quarter with 3-5 favorite My Degenerate (driven by Tyler Miller) following from the pocket. Miller moved My Degenerate off the pylons passing three-eighths and attempted to clear for the lead but parked to a :55.1 half and floundered on the rim while Whiskey Wow extended up the backstretch. Whiskey Wow clicked three-quarters in 1:22.3 and reached for the finish under steady Dunn encouragement to notch a four-length win in 1:50.3 over pocket-chaser Boots N Beer (Joey Putnam) with Royal Comet (Josert Fonseca) taking third. My Degenerate tired to fourth.
Matt Wilson trains Whiskey Wow, an 11-time winner from 23 starts with $144,030 earned, for owner Burlin Brower. His 1:50.3 mile bests the track record for trotting geldings of 1:50.4 set by Dover In Motion in 2024, which was the previous mark for the fastest trotting mile ever at Oak Grove. Off the fourth choice in the betting inside the five-horse field, Whiskey Wow paid $15.80 to win.
Dunn later snagged the other $50,000 KYSS dash for 4-year-old trotting horses and geldings with 1-9 favorite Gimpanzee Dancer in a 1:51.3 mile. After floating towards mid-pack off the starting gate, Dunn eventually hustled Gimpanzee Dancer three wide to push for the front into a :27 first quarter. He continued wide through the stretch first time and grabbed command from Te Quiero Lindy (Tyler Miller) heading to a :55.1 half but cruised comfortably through the remainder. Gimpanzee Dancer strode away off three-quarters in 1:23.2 to romp by 5-3/4 lengths over Te Quiero Lindy with Vugoo (Yannick Gingras) closing for third, another three lengths behind, and Yo Sheldon (Zyler Maxwell) rallying down the center of the track for fourth.
Chris Beaver trains Gimpanzee Dancer, a 4-year-old stallion by Gimpanzee-Weslynn Dancer, and co-owns him with partners Carolina Acosta and Derek Ivany. He won his fifth race from seven starts this season and his 11th race from 36 starts in his career, earning $464,667. He paid $2.16 to win.
The lone $50,000 KYSS dash for 4-year-old pacing mares also went to Dexter Dunn as he plowed forward past a :26.4 quarter to take the lead with 1-5 favorite Three Times Bettor and roll down the road for a 1:49.4 victory under wraps. She accelerated off middle fractions of :55 and 1:22.2 to easily put away pocket-chaser Aintnothingucando (Yannick Gingras) in second, beaten 2-1/4 lengths, with Rose (Tim Tetrick) motoring wide late for third. Odds On Chesapeake (Todd McCarthy) was shuffled back and gave pursuit for fourth.
Three Times Bettor remains unbeaten from four starts this season and collected her eighth victory in a row. Thaddeus Weir owns the daughter of Bettor’s Delight-Three Times A Lady with 13 wins on her card from 21 starts and $288,814 earned. The Brett Pelling trainee paid $2.48 to win.
Dunn’s other wins in his five-pack came outside of KYSS events when he scored in a $20,000 conditioned pace with even-money favorite Funtime Bayama ($4.02 to win) in a 1:49.1 mile and in the following race, the $30,000 Open Handicap Pace, with Wayne Oke trainee Muskateer Hanover ($4.72) in a 1:50.1 mile. The 6-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou-Marinade Hanover, owned by Calcutta Stable LLC, won for the second time in the top class at Oak Grove this meet, holding off late pursuers Admiral Hill (Yannick Gingras) and Tip Top Cat (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) for the season-best win.
Trainer Ron Burke and driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. swept the pair of $50,000 KYSS events for 4-year-old pacing horses and geldings starting with a 1:49.2 front-stepping win by 1-9 favorite Harrisburg Heist. Wrenn eased towards the top through a :26.3 first quarter and cruised through middle fractions of :54.4 and 1:23 before gaining some separation for a wrapped-up win by 1-1/2 lengths over pocket-chaser Damn The Torpedoes (Tim Tetrick) in second. Special Select (Dexter Dunn) hugged the pylons for third and Falcon (Yannick Gingras) faltered from a first-over push for fourth.
A 4-year-old gelding by Downbytheseaside-Cashaway, Harrisburg Heist won his third race from four starts this season and his 16th race from 35 starts, earning $675,202 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., Phillip Collura and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. He paid $2.14 to win.
Burke and Wrenn teamed in the following race for a solid rebound victory with Captain Arturovico in a 1:50 front-stepping performance. Captain Arturovico cleared control past a :26.3 first quarter and carried his speed to a :54.2 half before stablemate Banderas (Yannick Gingras) angled first up to give pursuit. Banderas only made mild gains against Captain Arturovico to three-quarters in 1:22.1 and finished second best as the 3-5 favorite by three-quarter lengths while Lafitte (Tim Tetrick) saved ground to take third from pocket-sitter Delray Beach (Dexter Dunn), who settled for fourth.
Captain Arturovico, a gelding by Captaintreacherous-Tilikum, won his first race from eight starts this season and his 13th race from 38 starts in his career, earning $390,809. He competes for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Larry Karr and Phillip Collura and he paid $8.02 to win.
R Dutchess (Tim Tetrick) worked a perfect pocket trip to take the single $50,000 division of KYSS for 4-year-old trotting mares with a 1:52.4 effort. Tetrick hustled the Tyler Butenschoen trainee to the fore and strung out 6-5 favorite Winnpanzee (Yannick Gingras) through a :26.4 first quarter before settling for the pocket. Winnpanzee clocked a :55.3 half and worked another breather up the backside while confronted by a fierce first-over charge from Voguish (Dexter Dunn) to three-quarters in 1:24.3. Voguish retreated around the last turn as Winnpanzee reached for the line, giving R Dutchess clearance to tip outside and lay aim on the tiring leader. R Dutchess zipped by in the stretch and posted a 1-1/4-length win over Winnpanzee with Aperfect Annie (Todd McCarthy) saving ground for third and Best Friends Girl (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) following suit in fourth.
A daughter of Father Patrick-The Ice Dutchess, R Dutchess competes for lessees M And L of Delaware and Armitage Farm. She won eighth race from 30 starts, earning $559,438, and paid $11.88 to win.
Live racing resumes at Oak Grove on Tuesday (May 26) with a 14-race card headlined by a $30,000 Open Handicap Trot, carded as Race 2. First-race post time is 1:10 p.m. (CDT). For more information, visitoakgrovegaming.com.