Better Is Nice heads Kentucky Sire Stakes opener
At 0h12, on April 21, 2025 • By Oak Grove Racing Publicity
Better Is Nice, last season’s Kentucky Sire Stakes sophomore male pacing champion, makes his 4-year-old debut against four foes in a Kentucky Sire Stakes preliminary event Monday (April 21) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel, one of five $50,000 first-round series events on the 13-race program.
Better Is Nice, who banked $524,813 while winning five of 18 starts as a 3-year-old and took his mark of 1:48 in his victory over Women Layer and Nuclear in the $400,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship in September, has been installed the 6-5 morning-line favorite in his first-round division for 4-year-old male pacers, carded as race three. Andy McCarthy occupies his usual seat behind the Bettor’s Wish-Thatsoveryverynice entire for trainer Tony Alagna, and the pair will start from post four in the five-horse field. Nuclear, the 8-5 second choice after winning two of five starts this season, starts from the pole with Trace Tetrick driving for trainer Ron Burke.
The other 4-year-old male pacing division is carded as race eight, with 12-time winner Women Layer headlining a field of six after three victorious qualifiers at Miami Valley for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. Todd McCarthy will drive the Sweet Lou-Loreenas Ruffian gelding, who has been made the 6-5 early favorite in the field of six, from the pole.
The 4-year-old mare trotting division attracted 10 entrants, and they will all square off in race five. Woman Of Passion, a 10-time winner as a 3-year-old with a mark of 1:50.1 taken at the Red Mile, is the 5-2 early favorite with Todd McCarthy driving for trainer Carter Pinske.
Nancy Takter trainee Bargain (post three, Dexter Dunn, 2-1) and Ron Burke trainee Ordained (post eight, Yannick Gingras, 3-1) lead a field of eight in the 4-year-old male trot, carded as race seven; and Asweetbeachhere (post six, Todd McCarthy, 3-1) squares off against Cumberland Run series champion Fearless Bettor (post nine, David Miller, 7-2) and eight other foes in the 4-year-old mare pace, carded as race nine.
First post is 2:45 p.m.
