Sophomore showdowns set for Sunday’s Bluegrass at Red Mile

Bluegrass action is set to conclude on Sunday (Oct. 3) at The Red Mile with a nine division extravaganza, comprised of each division of sophomore Standardbreds, on the 14-race card.

Division one of the $253,000 Captaintreacherous Bluegrass sophomore male pace opens the afternoon stakes contests with Cane Pace winner Rockyroad Hanover looking to get back into the winner’s circle following a sixth in his Little Brown Jug elimination and, before that, a fifth in the North America Cup. Dexter Dunn steers the Tony Alagna pupil from post five as he faces another in search of a rebound in One Eight Hundred, the Nancy Takter trainee who since losing a hobble in the Meadowlands Pace has struggled to replicate the speed he showed earlier in the season.

The second division of the Captaintreacherous features a rematch between Ohio star Charlie May and last season’s freshman champion Perfect Sting. When last meeting, Charlie May landed the edge on Perfect Sting before his controversial disqualification in the $700,000 Meadowlands Pace final, which elevated Perfect Sting into second. This time around, Charlie May enters from a 1:55.2 breeze in an Ohio Breeders Championship while Perfect Sting also exits Delaware from a narrow loss in the Little Brown Jug final. Brett Miller reunites with Charlie May for conditioner Steve Carter from post six while David Miller has the drive on Perfect Sting for trainer Joe Holloway from post eight.

Abuckabett Hanover enters the final division of the Captaintreacherous on what appears as a comeback, having romped a $139,684 Simcoe division in 1:49.1 as the odds-on choice. The once-prominent 2-year-old has faced bad luck over the last few months, including an interference break in the Meadowlands Pace, a break before the start of the Max Hempt Memorial and a trip from a difficult spot in the North America Cup. Andrew McCarthy remains with the Tony Alagna trainee from post four as he encounters Scott Cox trainee Chase H Hanover on an upswing, having won his last two races — a $41,850 Keystone Classic division and the $130,000 Jenna’s Beach Boy at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. has the drive behind Chase H Hanover from post seven.