posted on 9/24/2012 4:16 pm
With the Little Brown Jug and various regional finals now history, the focus of harness racing shifts to the Bluegrass for the premier Grand
Circuit event of the season, two wonderful weeks at The Red Mile.
The action
begins with a ten race card featuring the Bluegrass Two Year Old Filly
Trot on Thursday, September 27. Entries for the stake numbered
twenty-six necessitating four divisions, each for a purse of nearly
$90,000.
Division leader To Dream On has drawn post seven in race 9 for trainer
Jimmy Takter and regular driver David Miller. Marvin Katz and Al
Libfeld own the winner of a third of a million dollars.
PA Sires Stakes champ Frau Blucher makes her first start back since
that win in the third race with Dave Palone back in the driver's seat
for trainer Chris Oakes and owners Hauser Bros Racing and Matt Tudisco.
Racing continues through Saturday evening with a post time of 7:00
(EDT), followed by a Sunday matinee at 1:00. Week two is all daylight
cards,
Thursday through Sunday at 1:00.
The stakes schedule is as follows; the Bluegrass stakes for all divisions populate week one, then the International Stallion Stakes (all 2YO), Tattersalls Pace & Garnsey Memorial, the 120th
edition of the Kentucky Futurity &
Filly Futurity and the Allerage Farms open events are contested the second week.
The
schedule is consistent so far as gait and sex through both weeks with
Thursday featuring the 2YO Filly Trots, the 2YO Filly Pacers and 2YO
Colt Trotters going both Fridays, Saturdays offer the 2YO Colt Pace, 3YO
Colt & Filly Pace and the 3YO Colt & Filly Trotting stakes race
Sunday. The meet ends with its strongest offering on October 7th featuring
the KY Futurity and Allerage Farms FFA races. An estimated $8 million in purses will be offered over the eight racing days.
The Lexington Selected Yearling sale begins at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, October 2nd and continues each evening through Saturday, October
6th.
The Lexington area is rich in equine tradition like nowhere else, boasting the famed Kentucky Horse Park, Keeneland Racetrack and the most magnificent horse farms in all
the world. A brief description of where to stay and what to do while in town is available at this link.
