Lexington, KY — Hunterton Born, Raised & Sold Requiem shipped to The Red Mile from defeat on the Grand Circuit to find the winner’s circle in their respective $80,000 opening-preliminary division of the Kentucky Championship Series on Monday afternoon (Aug. 10). Requiem (Andy McCarthy) went pillar-to-post in a 1:51.1 redemptive score – from his loss in the Hambletonian eliminations – in the Kentucky Championship Series split for trotting glamour boys, giving McCarthy a sweep of the top-tier races and leading a one-two finish for trainer Matthew Burkholder. McCarthy motored Requiem out of post 8 to the lead in a :27.1 first quarter and cruised swiftly to a :54.3 half. Pocket-sitter Kaizen (Markus Niklasson) peaked off the pylons through the last turn as Requiem remained strong on the point to three-quarters in 1:22.4 before breaking stride into the stretch, leaving McCarthy to stroll over the beam a length winner chased by 7-5 favorite Silverstein (David Miller), who sat third throughout and took second. Fineline Hanover (Todd McCarthy) gave pursuit from third and Lucchese (Tim Tetrick), the longest shot on the board, kicked from last for fourth. Requiem, a colt by Muscle Hill -Ostrich Blue Chip, races for owner Dark Horse Farm LLC. He won his first race from six starts this season and his fifth race from 16 starts in his career, banking $257,246. He paid $17.18 to win.

East Rutherford, NJ — The Chris Ryder-trained tandem of Twin B Joe Fresh and Hunterton Born Miki And Minnie renewed their rivalry in the stretch of the $156,500 Grade 2 Lady Liberty, for pacing mares, on Saturday (Aug. 8) at the Meadowlands with Miki And Minnie scoring the winning blow in a 1:48 mile. Twin B Joe Fresh, a two-time Dan Patch Award winner, shot out of post 7 to control the pace, followed to the :27.4 first quarter by Unreasonable, Miki And Minnie – last year’s Dan Patch Award-winning 3-year-old pacing filly – and the other five parading to a :54.2 half. The only movement in the backstretch came when driver James MacDonald initiated his attack off the pylons with Miki And Minnie, aiming at her stablemate as she scorched towards three-quarters in 1:21.3. Miki And Minnie chased Twin B Joe Fresh with purpose in a gutsy stretch battle. “I’ve never seen Miki And Minnie give up,” Ryder said about Miki And Minnie after the race. “I never count her out. She was down about 2-1/2 lengths not far into the stretch [from Twin B Joe Fresh], but it did not surprise me she made it.” In the :26.2 final quarter, Miki And Minnie tucked to draft behind her stablemate before laying a final siege in the closing eighth of a mile. She smoothly surged by and put away Twin B Joe Fresh for a half-length win with Louies Girl N finishing third and Rodeo Drive Deo fourth. “I’m just pleased to see them go the races they’re supposed to go,” Ryder said about his mares finishing first and second. “From week to week, you can get a little nervous when they’re going to the gate just to make sure they perform, but I’m delighted with both of them.” Ryder also said the pair will be heading north for the Milton Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park in a few weeks. Miki And Minnie, a double-millionaire homebred 4-year-old by Always B Miki out of the Roll With Joe mare That’s The Ticket, competes for owners Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz. Miki And Minnie boosted her bankroll to $2,329,227 in her 25th win from 34 starts while collecting her sixth win from eight starts this season. Sent the slight favorite over Twin B Joe Fresh, she paid $4.20 to win.

East Rutherford, NJ — A slick move through slow early fractions by driver Yannick Gingras to loop Hunterton Born & Raised Nezuko Kamado S to the lead placed her at a strong tactical advantage to grit a last-ditch blitz by pocket-pouncing Carve and win the $500,000 Winning Key Farm Hambletonian Oaks in 1:51.4 on Saturday (Aug. 8) at the Meadowlands.  Nezuko Kamado S, the 4-5 favorite with Yannick Gingras substituting for injured driver Scott Zeron, eased out of post 2 into fourth as Carve motored from the center of the gate by pylon-starter Busy Miss Lissy S to take the lead. But after the first quarter clicked in just :28.2, Gingras floated Nezuko Kamado S off the pylons and lifted for the lead in the backstretch. She cleared Carve before a :56.2 half, at which point Setyoursightshigh got underway with an uncovered bid up the rim. Setyoursightshigh advanced to match strides with stablemate Nezuko Kamado S coming to three-quarters in 1:25.1, bottling Carve in the pocket and towing Frattina Diablo S into contention from second-over. Nezuko Kamado S turned for home and waited until around the eighth pole to sprint, springing away from Setyoursightshigh while giving Carve clearance to angle out for a final attack. Carve swung out and clawed desperately for the lead late but came a neck short at the beam with Setyoursightshigh left in third and Frattina Diablo S taking fourth. “I really didn’t want to be on the lead,” Gingras said after the race. “I thought there would be a lot of speed from the outside, and I was surprised when the gate opened up [that] we weren’t going much. I knew at that point, the middle of the first turn, that I was going to move to the lead, and it was a winning move. I knew in the last turn I had the horse to beat on my back. It was a matter of not going too fast, and halfway down the stretch I let mine loose a little bit and almost got loose a little too early because Andy’s filly really quickened and gave me a run down the lane.” A filly by Chapter Seven out of the Muscle Hill mare Zefira Kronos IT, Nezuko Kamado S won her fifth race from six starts this season and her 11th race from 17 starts in her career, entering millionaire status with $1,052,969 in the bank for owner-breeder Courant Inc. “It’s fantastic [to win],” said Anders Ström, of Courant Inc. “It’s a homebred, great horse, great work by the trainer Marcus Melander and all his team, but it felt especially good to see Scott Zeron in the winner’s circle with us today.” Ström, who also thanked Gingras for catching the drive after Nezuko Kamado S’s regular pilot, Scott Zeron, was injured in a spill on Thursday night (Aug. 6) at Yonkers Raceway, said he left the decision for the driver change to trainer Marcus Melander. “Scott took care of this filly all year. I feel very bad that he couldn’t drive today,” Melander said. “I’m very thankful Yannick could step in and do such good work, but I do want to say a big thank you to Scott as well. Without him, we wouldn’t be here. We had three good horses coming into the race here, so of course you have your hopes up. I’ve been the favorite in these races before, finishing second, third or whatever. It’s a hard race to win and I’m happy we got it done.” “I couldn’t say yes fast enough; unfortunately that’s not how you want to get a drive, but no doubt it was an easy decision,” Gingras said. “All the credit goes to Scotty [Zeron]. It’s two years that he’s been working on this filly for a day like today. It’s bittersweet – I’m happy to pick up the drive and win the race – but the win is his. These horses are built up for races like this; they’re ready for big performances. I don’t think it mattered which way I raced her because he had her so brave, so all credit to him.” Nezuko Kamado S paid $3.80 to win.

East Rutherford, NJ — Hunterton's Apex captured the $1 million Grade 1 Winning Key Farm Hambletonian Stakes, for 3-year-old trotters, on Saturday (Aug. 8) at the Meadowlands, holding off favorite Big Ranger by a nose in a stakes-record 1:49.2. Minoan finished third, 4-1/4 lengths behind the top two finishers. Apex’s effort gave trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn their first Hambletonian wins. Melander had finished second in America’s Trotting Classic four times, including three of the past four years. Two races prior to the Hambletonian, Melander-trained Nezuko Kamado S won the filly companion race, the Hambletonian Oaks, by a neck over Carve. Melander became the fourth trainer in history to win the Hambletonian and Oaks in the same year, joining Jimmy Takter (twice), Jim Campbell and Jan Johnson. Dunn became the first driver since Mike Lachance in 2003 to win the Meadowlands Pace (in July with Brandon Blvd) and the Hambletonian in the same year. In the Hambletonian, Big Ranger went to the front on the first turn, but Dunn kept Apex in motion and led that rival by a parked-out nose as he reached the opening quarter in :26.4. Apex was a length in front at the half in :54.3 and at three-quarters in 1:22.4, but Tim Tetrick was charging first-over with Big Ranger and the two were separated by a nose in the stretch, setting up their toe-to-toe fight to the finish. Following a lengthy photo-finish review, Apex’s No. 3 lit the top spot on the tote board. In addition to a stakes record, the final time of 1:49.2 set the track record for a 3-year-old trotter and was only one-fifth of a second off the world record.

Hunterton's Jot It Down wins the $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Division for 2yotf's, August 5 at The Red Mile. Congratulations to owners Mel Hartman, Hickory Hollow Stables, Lester Graber, trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn.

Hunterton Farm has welcomed two new members to its retirement community of accomplished equines. Market Share 5,1:502f ($3,792,101) and It’s My Show p,3, 1:46.4 ($1,541,620) recently arrived at the Paris, KY, farm. “It’s an honor to have horses like them on the farm,” said Steve Stewart, who owns and operates Hunterton with his wife, Cindy. “Market Share was babysitting yearlings at Southwind Farms,” Steve said, “and we’ll probably have him doing that here, and It’s My Show has recovered from a career-ending injury, so we’ll see how he is doing.” Market Share, a son of Revenue S, was born in Paris, KY, where he was raised by his breeder, Hayley Moore. In 2017, Market Share won the Hambletonian for owners Richard Gutnick, TLP Stable, and William Augustine, trainer Linda Toscano and driver Tim Tetrick. At age 4, he won the Breeders Crown, Maple Leaf Trot, and TVG final. When Southwind Farms decided to close its doors, Gutnick started looking for a new home for Market Share. “We wanted to place him at the Kentucky Horse Park,” said Gutnick. “Besides winning the Hambletonian, he was a blue-ribbon winner at the Standardbred Pleasure Horse Show and had been ridden regularly. But we couldn’t get him placed at the Horse Park because they wanted a different breed. Luckily, Steve Stewart said they would be happy to take him at Hunterton, and I’m very happy about that.” It’s My Show’s new home happens to be the place he was born. The 6-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou out of the great Put On A Show was foaled at Hunterton. He is settling in after a year-long recovery from a shattered pastern that required multiple screws to repair. Trained by Linda Toscano, It’s My Show had won the North America Cup, Little Brown Jug, and Canadian Pacing Derby before suffering his injury. “I was given the option to euthanize him,” said Richard Young, who co-owns the horse with Joanne Young. “The vets told me it was 50-50 if he survived. I’m in the business to race, but you have to be able to accept that bad things can happen. But I’m an animal lover, so I said `let’s try to save him.’ I’m very happy the surgery was a success. He was at Mid-Atlantic [Veterinary Clinic] in New Jersey for four months.” It’s My Show’s dam, Put On A Show, still resides at Hunterton and is owned by a partnership that includes Steve Stewart. Hunterton Farm will soon begin welcoming guests to inspect its 2026 yearlings and encourages visitors to ask to see Market Share and It’s My Show.

East Rutherford, NJ — Hunterton's Apex , Marcus Melander’s millionaire trainee, stamped himself as a likely favorite for next week’s $1 million Grade 1 Hambletonian by way of a gutsy 1:50.4 win the first $100,175 elimination for the 101st edition of the classic for 3-year-old trotters on Saturday (Aug. 1) at the Meadowlands. Big Ranger delivered a statement win in the second elimination, leaving his nine foes well in his wake for a decisive 1:50 score. After teaming Apex to wins in the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship and his division of the Grade 3 Stanley Dancer Memorial, Dexter Dunn floated the Walner -Mission Brief colt forward into midfield from post 7 as AI (driven by Yannick Gingras) split fellow leavers Captain Naughty (Jason Bartlett) and American Power (James MacDonald) to secure the lead through a :27.3 first quarter. Midway up the backstretch, Dunn angled Apex wide to flush Inexpressable (Scott Zeron) out from fourth, but Inexpressable charged ahead to clear the front at the :56.4 half-mile station, leaving Apex uncovered and 2 lengths off the lead with the toughest part of the race ahead of him. “I knew it was going to be a tough mile no matter what we did with him,” said Dunn. “We got away in a pretty good position, but we were only in for a little bit and out the rest of the mile.” Inexpressable threw down a :26.4 third quarter through the far turn, but Apex managed to gradually grind forward and sweep to the lead with 150 yards to go. Though Apex made easy work of Inexpressable, Endurance and Andy McCarthy posed a major threat down the grandstand side nearing the winning post after slipstreaming Apex’s cover on the far turn. “I thought Andy was going to pass me late in the stretch (with Endurance), but [Apex] really dug deep and wanted to fight him off,” said Dunn. Apex indeed proved up to the challenge, gamely parrying Endurance by a nose to record his ninth career win from 13 starts — and his third from just four tries this year — for the partnership of Jeffrey Snyder, SRF Stable and Steve Stewart. American Power split foes to save third out of a failing pocket; Captain Naughty and AI rounded out the top five finishers. “He’s got that winning attitude,” concluded Dunn. “I think he’ll probably be sharper next week, as well; he’d only had three starts this year, and this should tighten him up a bit.”

Hunterton Farm has welcomed two new members to its retirement community of accomplished equines. Market Share 5,1:502f ($3,792,101) and It’s My Show p,3, 1:46.4 ($1,541,620) recently arrived at the Paris, KY, farm. “It’s an honor to have horses like them on the farm,” said Steve Stewart, who owns and operates Hunterton with his wife, Cindy. “Market Share was babysitting yearlings at Southwind Farms,” Steve said, “and we’ll probably have him doing that here, and It’s My Show has recovered from a career-ending injury, so we’ll see how he is doing.” Market Share, a son of Revenue S, was born in Paris, KY, where he was raised by his breeder, Hayley Moore. In 2017, Market Share won the Hambletonian for owners Richard Gutnick, TLP Stable, and William Augustine, trainer Linda Toscano and driver Tim Tetrick. At age 4, he won the Breeders Crown, Maple Leaf Trot, and TVG final. When Southwind Farms decided to close its doors, Gutnick started looking for a new home for Market Share. “We wanted to place him at the Kentucky Horse Park,” said Gutnick. “Besides winning the Hambletonian, he was a blue- ribbon winner at the Standardbred Pleasure Horse Show and had been ridden regularly. But we couldn’t get him placed at the Horse Park because they wanted a different breed. Luckily, Steve Stewart said they would be happy to take him at Hunterton, and I’m very happy about that.” It’s My Show’s new home happens to be the place he was born. The 6-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou out of the great Put On A Show was foaled at Hunterton. He is settling in after a year-long recovery from a shattered pastern that required multiple screws to repair. Trained by Linda Toscano, It’s My Show had won the North America Cup, Little Brown Jug, and Canadian Pacing Derby before suffering his injury. “I was given the option to euthanize him,” said Richard Young, who co-owns the horse with Joanne Young. “The vets told me it was 50-50 if he survived. I’m in the business to race, but you have to be able to accept that bad things can happen. But I’m an animal lover, so I said `let’s try to save him.’ I’m very happy the surgery was a success. He was at Mid-Atlantic [Veterinary Clinic] in New Jersey for four months.” It’s My Show’s dam, Put On A Show, still resides at Hunterton and is owned by a partnership that includes Steve Stewart. Hunterton Farm will soon begin welcoming guests to inspect its 2026 yearlings and encourages visitors to ask to see Market Share and It’s My Show.

Nichols, NY — Tioga Downs played host to a pair of New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) divisions for 2-year-old fillies of each gait on Friday (July 31). Jula Florence (Tyler Miller) was a gate-to-wire winner in the $52,500 first division for freshmen trotting fillies. Hunterton's Born, Raised & Sold Jula Florence ($11.74) took the lead to the first quarter in :30.2. She used a :29.3 second quarter and was first to the half in 1:00. Seveallisto (Leon Bailey) came first-up heading down the backstretch. Jula Florence shook her off and led to three-quarters in 1:27.4. Jula Florence put everyone away in the stretch, winning in a lifetime best 1:56.4. Secret Lover (Jason Bartlett) came up to get second money. Seveallisto had to settle for third. Jula Florence is a filly by Chapter Seven -Jula Shes Magic trained by Jullie Miller for owners for owners Windsong Stable, Dumain Haven Farm, and Andy Miller Stable. It was her second career win.