Defeat of Yo Tillie leads surprises from Grand Circuit’s opening week at Red Mile
How will unforeseen recent results impact upcoming Kentucky Futurity and Kentucky Filly Futurity?
by Brett Sturman
Bluegrass Stakes splits contested across all the 2- and 3-year-old divisions over three racing days last week at The Red Mile produced a series of surprising results as the two-week Grand Circuit meet started with a bang. It was in the 3-year-old trotting ranks however throughout this past Saturday (Sept. 27) that produced the biggest shockers, as both the top colt and filly from their respective divisions were upset.
In one of the two big co-upsets from Saturday, the fourth of four Bluegrass divisions saw 2025 unbeaten-to-date Yo Tillie lose for the first time in 10 starts at the hands of Delaney Hanover. One could say the loss was due to Delaney Hanover getting an inside lane through the stretch, but to me it looked like Delaney Hanover — a filly that was bet down to 5-2 in the Hambletonian Oaks final following her Oaks elimination win — may have simply been the better filly on that day when delivering the race of her career thus far.
Yo Tillie came with a first-over move in the race but didn’t have to be used at all for the first half of the mile. It was actually very similar to a couple of her earlier wins this season over at both The Meadowlands and The Red Mile and still came home in :26.2 in the Bluegrass, but she was equaled in that final quarter clocking by Delaney Hanover who came through an opening at the top of the stretch and credit to Scott Zeron for being able to secure that 2-hole trip after moving early to the lead from post 5.
Trainer of Yo Tillie, Andrew Harris, confirmed to me that though she could race in this weekend’s Kentucky Filly Futurity through supplement, that instead, “She will get the week off and then prepare for the Breeders Crown.”
All three other Bluegrass divisions for the 3-year-old filly trotters produced double digit upsets. The day began in the first race with Ms Prada with a tough-to-predict win at odds of 18-1 over the 1-5 favored Champagne Problems. Amazingly, last year’s 2-year-old champion Champagne Problems has won just a single time this year through 11 starts, and that was in her very first start this year in a New Jersey Sire Stakes race in May. For a filly that has many second-place finishes on her resume this year it would be fitting for her to deliver her second win of the year with the big money on the line coming up in the Filly Futurity.
It didn’t get any better for favorites in the next division as in two races last year Kadena paid $25.66 to win when besting another odds-on favorite, that one being Deja Blue at 3-5. It was then bombs away in the third Bluegrass division when filly trotters Grand Reserve and Dreams Come Easy ran 1-2 at odds of 31-1 and 26-1, respectively.
What all these results allude to is that it would seem that no matter what happens in the Breeders Crown and in a potential race or two following, Yo Tillie has solidified her status as the division’s best 3-year-old filly trotter. Where it gets more interesting is when looking at the picture of overall Trotter of the Year where Yo Tillie has competition with the rapidly eye-catching performances from the 7-year-old Lexus Kody. As of last week’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, Yo Tillie was third while Lexus Kody was seventh, but that all may change when this week’s poll comes out Wednesday.
That’s because of not only what happened at The Red Mile Saturday, but more persuasively what happened at Dayton that same night. In the $250,000 Dayton Trotting Derby, the heavily backed Lexus Kody found himself shuffled from the rail position and was the last of nine on the inside by three quarters. Eventually being able to shift into the two-path and then even wider on the final turn and into the stretch, he burst by everyone including 2-1 choice Aetos Kronos S to deliver an improbable and visually impressive win.
Including a dead-heat for win two back in the $200,000 Caesar’s Trotting Classic with Periculum, other wins that comprise the five-race win streak of Lexus Kody are the $1 million Yonkers International Trot, the $459,900 Maple Leaf Trot, and a Maple Leaf Trot elimination. By any objective measure he’s the best trotter in racing right now.
While Yo Tillie lost as the 1-5 favorite, that wasn’t even the biggest upset on Saturday, strictly going by the odds. Three races earlier Super Chapter lost as the 1-9 favorite at 5 cents on the dollar. And whereas a break in stride did him in a few races prior, he was beaten fair and square in his Bluegrass division by a 3-year-old gelding named Warrior.
I actually liked Warrior on Hambletonian Day in the Muscle Hill stakes (he ended up being non-threatening that day) following his good try in a race prior in the Tompkins-Geers, but him being able to track down Super Chapter off cover would have been tough to see, and as such, was the reason he paid over $65 to win. In that race, Super Chapter got the good second-over trip and was towed right into it behind Variegated, but Warrior was even better from third-over.
In the case of Warrior perhaps a brand-new late driver in Todd McCarthy helped do the trick, but it goes to show how anything can happen when you take horses with talent, all from talented trainers, and put them out over a mile-sized track. With both Super Chapter and Warrior currently eligible for the upcoming Kentucky Futurity, I’d anticipate that it will be their next stop.
Of course, the horse at this point that the Kentucky Futurity might go through is Go Dog Go. Finally staying flat on Saturday following breaks in his two prior races and being one of the few race favorites to actually deliver a win on the day, he was as powerful as ever when trotting to a 1:49.3 score which now makes him tied for the 12th fastest trotting mile ever.
Races from that day may just be a preview of what’s to come at The Red Mile this Saturday (Oct. 4). Following the two upcoming days, Thursday and Friday, of International Stallion Stakes, much will be on the line on the Grand Circuit’s closing day at The Red Mile in a card of end-to-end stakes. From what recent history just shows, anything can — and probably will — happen.
