Don’t make me leave!

by Gordon Waterstone

No! Don’t make me go! Don’t make me leave! That’s how I was feeling Thursday afternoon while attending the races at The Red Mile. How could anybody want to leave the historic track when it was 80 degrees with nary a cloud in the sky?

But alas, I had to as I had to make my way home so I could pen today’s column. I decided to not head to The Red Mile for a morning tour because racing was getting underway at 1 p.m., and while driving to the track I was glad I didn’t as the traffic was brutal.

After several consecutive days of eating dinner out, I decided to stay home on Wednesday night. Decided may not be the proper word as it was solely because nobody offered up an invitation. Not even the Brian Brown group, who gathered together for dinner at the Merrick Inn patio, where I live. And no, Judy and Diane Wilson, I did not open a can of spaghetti for dinner. It was a can of chili.

Before I headed to the track yesterday, I decided to grab lunch at Drakes, which is across the street from where I live. Manager Andy stopped by the table to chat for a minute as he had introduced himself a couple of weeks ago while I was there. Andy told me that this past Tuesday night there were two large groups of Canadians who dined at adjacent Malone’s after attending Day 2 of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. I don’t know who you all were, but Andy said everybody couldn’t have been nicer and enjoyed the conversation.

There’s still a couple of nights left before you might be leaving town, so be sure to stop in to Malone’s or Drakes, and tell manager Andy or server Chasity I sent you. Not that it’d get you anything, but maybe I can get a free dessert in the future.

Speaking of the sale, I’ll have a wrap-up in my next Backstretch With Gordon that will appear in Sunday’s (Oct. 11) HRU. But after three days, my sponsors, Steve and Cindy Stewart’s Hunterton Sales Agency lead the way with 93 sold for a gross of $10.847 million.

One thing I forgot yesterday but a great interview by Heather Vitale with Ken McPeek at the sale on Tuesday reminded me that I had also learned that the well-known thoroughbred trainer is going to start dabbling with harness horses via a connection with Kjell Andersen. Ken made history in 2024 when his horses Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna won the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively, over the same weekend. I remember sitting at the bar on the Merrick patio having dinner a few weeks later and a guy I thought I knew sat across from me. I thought it was John Fielding so I waved and he waved back, and then I realized it wasn’t John, but rather it was Kenny McPeek. He grew up in Lexington and I later learned he was here because he was being honored by Mayor Linda Gorton the next day with Kenny McPeek day.

So back to yesterday at the races, which was the first of the final three days of Grand Circuit action at The Red Mile. I did a loop on the apron and it was there that I bumped into longtime Michigander friend Mike Micallef. Mike said he was there with his dad, so I went over to their picnic table and said hello to Lewis. Mike’s wife Tracy was also there, as were a couple but I didn’t write the names down. Sorry about that.

I noted to Mike that they were all sitting at a table that my dear, dear friend, Michigan Hall of Famer Lee Sattelberg, used to sit with his wife Denna and Patty Wright Robinson. Sadly, Lee passed away last November, and Denna just two months later also passed away. I was hoping to see Patty this year but she was unable to make the trip.

I stuck my head into the clubhouse and decided to take a peek at the buffet offerings. I stopped for a second to say hello to The Red Mile’s president and CEO Joe Costa and CFO/COO Shannon Cobb, who were having lunch. The big Winbak Farm group were having lunch and I asked Chris Fout is they left their mascot Michael Carter home today and she said, “No, he’s up at the buffet getting food.”

As I walked back down to go outside, I ran into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame and Museum’s director Janet Terhune and her daughter Kate Forry. It wasn’t long after that I also saw Janet’s husband, Mark Loewe.

I then took a walk along the upper grandstand boxes where I saw Dean Hoffman, Richard Stone, and Wally Mann huddled together in deep conversation. I saw Bill Bigler sitting by himself a few rows up in the grandstand seats so I joined him for a few races. Nick Salvi, Mario Zuanetti, and Bill Elliott each walked by and said hello.

Track announcer Gabe Prewitt handed the microphone off to Michael Carter — who has announcing skills and has done so at several racetracks — to call race 5. Michael had called an entire race card at The Red Mile several years ago, so he wasn’t totally new to the booth.

Michael did a great job and his excitement showed as a thrilling stretch duel took place. And Michael called the winner. But his winner wasn’t the winner of the photo finish so the order was reversed. In Michael’s defense, the angle of the finish line is tough at The Red Mile, and I too thought Andy McCarthy won with Swing Dancing and not the Josh Sutton-driven Rose Run Zoar.

I did hear Michael apologize afterward, saying it wasn’t the first time he called a photo wrong. And while Andy McCarthy may have come up on the short end of that photo, all in all he had a good day as he led the drivers with three victories.

While I was sitting with Billy, driver Tim Tetrick walked by in his colors. Tim had a break for a few races and was on his way to be interviewed by Bob Heyden. I think the interview may have been delayed one races as Jeff Gural was up next on the podium.

After Tim was done and heading back to the paddock, I stopped to ask him how he and the other drives will be getting to Harrah’s Hoosier Park tonight for the Indiana Sires Stakes finals. Today’s stakes races at The Red Mile are all scheduled late on the card, and I saw no way the drivers could jump in cars and make it in time for their Indiana mounts.

Tim confirmed that they hoped to get to Hoosier Park by automobiles, but since trains were not available that they banded together to charter a plane from Lexington to Anderson. So, joining Tim on the plane I assume will be Yannick Gingras, Dexter Dunn, and Scott Zeron.

One horse I’m looking forward to seeing is in race 13, a $139,000 International Stallion Stakes division for 2-year-old filly trotters. Starting from post 5 is Dejeuner, who was a $1 million yearling purchase by Patty Key’s Winning Key Inc. The daughter of Walner will be driven by Andy McCarthy for trainer Noel Daley. Dejeuner is winless in six career starts, but in four of those she chased the likes of the undefeated Wall Of Fame. I’m sure the connections are happy Wall Of Fame is sitting this week out.

A quick reminder if you are planning on being at The Red Mile for the final two programs, the Stable of Memories Museum will be open from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Also taking place at the Stable of Memories on Saturday morning is the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Harness Horse Youth Foundation. Tickets for the brunch are still available at https://hhuf.org/50th-tickets/or by finding Ellen Taylor. The brunch at Stable of Memories takes place from 8:30 a.m. to noon, with Hall of Famer John Campbell the keynote speaker.

A check of the weather forecast shows that the remnants of Hurricane Isaias are predicted to pick up the pace and instead of reaching Kentucky late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, they’re saying we could see the rain Saturday afternoon during the card. Remember, traffic will be heavy leaving the racetracks as the UK vs. LSU football game starts at 7 p.m.

And while sitting in traffic edging my way to The Red Mile yesterday, I saw regular gas at $4.09 and diesel at $6.39.