Endurance Lowers Oak Grove Track Record with KYSS Win

July 7, 2025

Oak Grove, KY — Chris Beaver trainee Hunterton Bred, Born and Sold Endurance finished with a flourish to grab fourth in his debut, but driver Andy McCarthy hustled the colt to the point to then strolled around the track under wraps to set a track record for 2-year-old trotting colts when winning his $40,000 split of Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Monday afternoon (July 7).


Leaving from post six, McCarthy endured a three-wide brush through a :27.3 first quarter to place Endurance on the helm while Lethal Legacy (driven by Todd McCarthy) obliged for the pocket ride. Endurance carved a :56.4 half and cruised to three-quarters in 1:26 before receiving a few taps of the whip and accelerating for home. He pulled well clear of his competition in the lane and sailed to a 3-1/2-length win over longshot Silverstein (David Miller), who closed for second, with Lethal Legacy tiring to third and Negotiation (Scott Zeron) checking in fourth. Endurance stopped the clock in 1:54.3, which eclipsed the previous track record for 2-year-old trotting colts of 1:54.4 set by Overkill Hall in 2022.


A colt by Captain Corey, Endurance won his first race from two starts and has now earned $23,200 for owners Chris Beaver, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and Mark Moger. He paid $6.06 to win.


Jailbird Jog (Anthony MacDonald) maintained her unbeaten record from two starts in posting the fastest mile of the two KYSS divisions for 2-year-old trotting fillies. The daughter of Tactical Landing hoisted herself forward from fifth off a :29 first quarter to take the lead into a :57.3 half while then withstanding a first-over push from 25-1 shot Country Glide (David Miller) through three-quarters in 1:27.1. She then coasted to the finish with the whip tucked away to register a measured win by three-quarter lengths in a 1:55.4 mile. Country Glide took second with Isotta Bi (Dexter Dunn) another six lengths behind in third and Lucky Lady Volo (Marcus Miller) another six lengths farther back in fourth.


Trained by Eric Patalan, Jailbird Jog has now banked $40,000 from her two wins for owners Thestable Jailbird Jog, P23 Bloodstock and Hutchison Harness LLC. She paid $2.26 to win.


In the following race, Funky Buddha (Todd McCarthy) capitalized off a torrid tempo to post the fastest mile of the two KYSS splits for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Funky Buddha sat fifth as Papi Rick (Andy McCarthy) uncorked an early clip of :27, :56 and 1:23.3 with 1-2 favorite What Nooo Waaay (Yannick Gingras) perched on his back. Todd McCarthy angled outside to the final turn with Funky Buddha and gradually reeled in tiring rivals through the stretch to cross the finish in a 1:52.4 mile, two-fifths of a second off the track record. Prolific Blend (Scott Zeron) also rallied to take second while What Nooo Waaay just grabbed third from Papi Rick in fourth.


A colt by Sweet Lou, Funky Buddha collected his second win from three starts and has now earned $36,000 for owner Rick Berks. Tony Dinges trains the colt, and he paid $13.18 to win.


Barbuda Belle (Yannick Gingras) emerged with the top mile of the three KYSS divisions for 2-year-old pacing fillies with her 1:53.4 front-stepping score. Gingras circled the Ron Burke trainee to the lead after a :28.3 first quarter set by Kissin In The Dark (Atlee Bender) and strode through middle fractions of :58.2 and 1:26.2 before shutting the door in a final-quarter sprint to peel clear by three lengths from Kissin In The Dark. Carolina (Todd McCarthy) finished third, another eight lengths behind, with Naughty Seastar (David Miller) checking in fourth.


A daughter of Captaintreacherous, Barbuda Belle won her first race from two starts and cashed a $20,000 check for owners Thomas Dillon, Scott Dillon and Craig Henderson. She paid $3.92 to win.


Racing continues at Oak Grove on Tuesday (July 8) with the second preliminary of Kentucky Sire Stakes for 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:25 p.m. For free past performances and more information on Oak Grove, visit oakgrovegaming.com.

July 1, 2026
Hollywood Casino at The Meadows welcomed the start of three Stallion Series divisions for 2-year-old trotting fillies. Sitting third through a pedestrian three-quarters in 1:30.4, Dunn moved Honky Tonk Baby to the outside, avoided confusion in the stretch, and the Julie Miller trainee trotted home in :28.4 to capture the third Stallion Series division. Willow Oak Racing LLC of Tennessee bred and owns the daughter of Greenshoe .
June 27, 2026
Washington, PA — The Friday (June 26) harness racing card at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows gave racing fans a featured attraction in the Currier & Ives Trot for 3-year-old colts and geldings, along with a glimpse of the future in two Pop-Up Series divisions for 2-year-old pacing fillies. Hunterton Bred, Born & Sold Endurance lived up to his name in the $90,675 Currier & Ives for 3-year-old colt trotters, overcoming post 9 in the 10-horse field to establish a stakes record with a 1:52.4 victory.  Unhurried early, Endurance and regular driver Andy McCarthy avoided the brisk early fractions and settled mid-pack. When Hamlet Hall moved first-over, McCarthy followed at the three-eighths, but stalled cover left Endurance three-wide approaching the five-eighths. As the leaders began to tire, Endurance and McCarthy found room along the rail and held off Hamlet Hall to secure the victory. Endurance overcame a wide draw and an overland trip en route to his stakes-record 1:52.4 performance in Friday’s Currier & Ives for sophomore male trotters. Chris Gooden photo. A 3-year-old son of Captain Corey , Endurance now owns nine wins in 12 starts and has earned more than $750,000 for trainer Chris Beaver and owners Super Endurance Stable, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and Mark Moger.
June 26, 2026
Yonkers, NY – Add an extra quarter of a mile to the $250,000 Grade 2 MGM Yonkers Trot, and you have a recipe for a wild finish. That proved to be the case on Friday night (June 26) when Inexpressable and driver Tim Tetrick rallied off of a third-over cover trip and charged by the field to capture the opening leg of Trotting’s Triple Crown at MGM Yonkers Raceway. With favored Spencer Hanover starting from the second tier, Requiem, with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. was the first to the front but yielded quickly to AI with Yannick Gingras. Second choice Silverstein then advanced rapidly and secured the front before the :29.1 opening quarter had been reached. The complexion of the race changed on the second turn when Spencer Hanover made a break. With little movement on the outside, Matt Kakaley slowed the fractions, with Silverstein hitting the half and three-quarters in :58.1 and 1:27.2, respectively. With about a half-mile remaining in the mile and one-quarter contest, Dexter Dunn moved Kingmen to the outside and flushed Requiem to gain cover. Tetrick advanced third-over with Inexpressable as the pace picked up. The field hit the 1:56 mile marker with Silverstein still in control and looking strong, and he had control into the stretch. However, he was slowing down noticeably at that point, opening the door for the closers. AI looked to the inside but couldn’t advance. However, Kingmen rallied wide and had plenty of trot to overtake the leader but not enough to stall the Lucas Wallin-trained Inexpressable, who motored on past to a neck victory. Kingmen held second with Silverstein third, followed by AI and fifth-place finisher Nordic Dancer S. The mile and one quarter time was 2:25.3. It was just the third race of the year and second win for Inexpressable, an impeccably-bred son of Walner from the same immediate family as Maryland . Owned by Wallin Racing Stable and Karin Walter-Mommert and a 7-1 offering, Inexpressable paid $16.68 to win. He keyed a $136.32 exacta and a $493.88 trifecta. “Last thing I wanted to do was make a break early,” said Tetrick. “He’s a big, strong colt, and he seems like he’s got big lungs.” Trainer Wallin suggested that Inexpressable would be pointed towards the Stanley Dancer next (July 11 at the Meadowlands). A $325,000 Lexington Selected yearling, Inexpressable is the first foal from the Cantab Hall-sired Ineffable, she a half-sister to 2021 Mohawk Million winner Venerable. In the first of two $55,000 divisions of the Grade 3 New York New York Mile for 3-year-old trotting fillies, the Ake Svanstedt-trained and Jonathan Ahle-driven Busy Miss Lissy S scored impressively, winning virtually wire-to-wire in 1:54.1. A daughter of Calgary Games bred in Sweden, Busy Miss Lissy S won for the first time in three starts as the 9-5 second choice in the field of five. Owned by breeder Panamera Racing, Busy Miss Lissy S returned $5.88 to win with Myths And Legends second and Wishuponastar Deo third. Favored R Ro broke at the outset and was never in contention. Emmas Mystery CCL and Todd McCarthy needed every inch of the stretch but finally went past pace-setter Sparks on the wire to capture the second $55,000 New York New York division. A Muscle Hill -sired filly, Emmas Mystery CCL raced from off-the-pace in third as Sparks led from the outset for Ake Svanstedt. With three-eighths of a mile remaining, McCarthy gave Emmas Mystery CCL her cue, and she forced the action through the final turn and right to the wire, prevailing in a 1:56.3 mile. Sparks was second and Atlantic Summer third.  Winning Key Inc. owns Emmas Mystery CCL and Noel Daley trains the filly who returned $3.14 as the public choice.
June 26, 2026
Yonkers, NY – Hunterton Bred, Born & Sold Fragment , who was last year’s New York Sire Stakes, Big Apple and Matron winner, rebounded off a third-place finish in the sire stakes most recently at Buffalo to capture the Grade 2 $200,000 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes final for 3-year-old male pacers on Friday night (June 26) at MGM Yonkers Raceway. The Messenger, which was conducted at the distance of a mile and a quarter this year, is the first leg of the Pacing Triple Crown. Driven by Jason Bartlett, Fragment showed speed from post two but allowed a two-wide Al Papi (Yannick Gingras) to clear him going to the :28.1 opening quarter. Al Papi would be unchallenged to the half in :57.1, but an outer tier that included Frantic Hanover (Tim Tetrick), Melillo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) and Hunt Off The Press (Scott Zeron) formed up as Al Papi raced toward three-quarters in 1:26.2. Al Papi staved off fellow Ron Burke trainee Frantic Hanover to the mile marker in 1:54.1, but Frantic Hanover began to tire on the last turn, and that gave Bartlett and Fragment a path to the outside they needed. Al Papi was game to the wire, but he couldn’t withstand the charge of Fragment, who got up to tally by half a length in 2:21.4. Mighty Matt (Braxten Boyd) held off Melillo for third and Apocalypsebluechip (Todd McCarthy) got up for fifth. “It’s good for the horse. He’s been very special to us the last two years,” Bartlett remarked. “For him to bounce back like that and to beat those type of horses, we’re not surprised. I’m happy that he’s back on track. For him to race like that in Buffalo was really not like him. “This race went kind of went the way we wanted it to. I was going to re-move him, but the pace was enough, so I just kind of sat there. I know he’s a little horse, but for me, on the front, he can get away from me a little bit because he floats over the ground. I was better off in the two-hole, to be honest.” Per Engblom trains Fragment, a Huntsville colt bred by Steve Stewart, Black Creek Farm, Michael Robinson, and South Mountain Stables, for the ownership group of Engblom Farm LLC., Douglas Sipple and Peaceful Acre Farm. He has 11 wins and three seconds from 19 lifetime starts, has earned $758,057 and paid $4.40 to win as the favorite. He keyed a $7.24 exacta and a $35.90 trifecta. “He bled a little bit at Buffalo, so we had to skip the next leg of the sire stakes to get him right. I think we did right by him,” Engblom said. “I didn’t stake him to any of the races this summer on the bigger tracks. I tried to stick on the smaller tracks and hope to have a good fall with him. “He’s got the New York Sire Stakes and the Empire Breeders, and then we’ll aim for the Little Brown Jug and the Breeders Crown.” The companion Grade 3 Park MGM Pace for 3-year-old fillies was split into a pair of $50,000 divisions. In the first flight, Two Twenty Swift (Bartlett), the 4-5 favorite, led through fractions of :27.2, :55 and 1:23.2 while she parked out Existential (Matt Kakaley). The swift tempo and battle made Two Twenty Swift vulnerable in the lane, and pocket-sitter Ideal Beauty Queen (Scott Zeron) took advantage, rallying past Two Twenty Swift to prevail half a length in 1:53.2 at odds of 22-1. Two Twenty Swift held on for the runner-up spot and Bettor Be A Star (Dexter Dunn) had pace in the stretch from second-over to get up for third. A daughter of American Ideal bred by co-owner Rosalia Huff with Jean Durnye, Ideal Beauty Queen is trained by Jake Huff. Ideal Beauty Queen, who is co-owned by Beauty Bridle Rac Stb Inc., won for the fourth time from 16 starts, has now earned $103,566 and paid $47.70 to win. She led a $133.88 exacta and a $231.98 trifecta. The second Park MGM Pace split saw 2-5 choice I’m A Lou Lou (Tim Tetrick) leave from post four and clear Tall Dark Tequila (Tyler Buter) for command before the :27.3 quarter. From there, I’m A Lou Lou kept the top spot to the half in :57 seconds and the three-quarters in 1:25.1 before she closed in :27.3 to prevail by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:52.4. Napalm (Dunn) was second from first-over and Tall Dark Tequila wound up third. By Sweet Lou and bred by Add Inc., I’m A Lou Lou is trained by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC. Knox Services Inc., Larry Karr and Phil Collura. She has a summary of 5-5-2 from 17 tries, has pocketed $328,860 and returned $2.84 to win. She was atop a $6.28 exacta and a $9.76 trifecta.
June 24, 2026
Oak Grove, KY – One race after the track record for 3-year-old pacing colts at Oak Grove was bested, Chris Ryder trainee Hunterton Born & Sold Show Me Your Ace snatched the title with a 1:49 win going pillar to post in the fourth of four $40,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) divisions for his cohort on the Wednesday (June 24) card.  Leaving from post 6, driver Dexter Dunn dashed Show Me Your Ace for the lead into a :26.1 first quarter to pocket Thiago Hanover (driven by Yannick Gingras) heading for the stretch the first time. Show Me Your Ace then glided through the remainder of the race with a :54 half and 1:21.2 three-quarters to coast in a comfortable winner by 6-3/4 lengths. Vizcaya (Marvin Luna) rallied for second while Thiago Hanover broke stride around the last turn and recovered to hold third. A Bit Of Spirits (Wyatt Avenatti) finished fourth. Ryder co-owns Show Me Your Ace, a colt by American Ideal-Trip Aces Hanover, with partners Anne Demers, Lawrence Minowtiz and Ake Svanstedt. He won his third race from four starts this season and his fifth race from 16 starts in his career, earning $153,272, and paid $4.10 to win.
June 23, 2026
Oak Grove, KY — Driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Marcus Melander flourished on the 16-race card of racing at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Tuesday (June 23) with five wins each on the card stacked with all trotting events and 15 divisions of Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS). Top honors on the day’s KYSS action went to the team of Dunn and Melander with Hunterton Born & Sold Zephyr Kemp , who posted the fastest mile of the afternoon’s KYSS action with a 1:53.1 victory in the second of three divisions for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Dunn had an easy time crossing from post 7 to the lead through a :28 first quarter over pocket Maga Hill (driven by Yannick Gingras) and coasted through fractions of :56.3 and 1:25.2 to register an easy win by 2-1/4 lengths. Maga Hill settled for second with Stormy Seas (Marvin Luna) third and Castro (Atlee Bender) another 5 lengths behind in fourth. A colt by Calgary Games-Southwind Adele, Zephyr Kemp competes for owners Kemppi Stables Oy Inc., Suojalampi Stable Inc., PCW Racing LLC and Sjoeblom Racing Inc. The colt won his first race from four starts this season and his fourth race from 14 starts in his career, earning $132,150. He paid $11.88 to win. Dunn and Melander also tied for the fastest win of the four KYSS divisions for 3-year-old trotting fillies when Crossover (1:53.1 winning mile; $10.20 to win) pulled pocket to upset 1-9 favorite Naked And Famous. Crossover converted from a stalking trip off splits of :28.2, :56.2 and 1:25.1 to pounce and score by 1-1/2 lengths over Naked And Famous with Panzee Party (Yannick Gingras) chasing another 6 lengths behind in third and Vicenza (Jason Bartlett) giving pursuit in fourth. The daughter of Gimpanzee -Piranha Fury is owned by S R F Stable and won her fourth race from 11 starts, pushing her career bankroll to $70,418.
June 23, 2026
Erv Miller trainee Hunterton Born & Sold Redice (Atlee Bender) uncorked the quickest mile among the 2-year-old trotting fillies with a 1:56.3 jog in the first division for their cohort at Oak Grove June 23. Bender eased to the top out of post 6 and held a steady lead through sensible fractions of :29.4, :59.3 and 1:28.4 in progress to a 7-length romp over Shanavalley (Dexter Dunn) and Solo Santa Maria (Junior Guelpa). The daughter of Rebuff -Fuzzy Dice competes for owners Ervin Miller Stable Inc., Anthony Lombardi and Stepbystep Racing. She paid $3.20 to win.
June 22, 2026
Oak Grove, KY — Brett Pelling pupil Three Times Bettor defended their Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) title at Oak Grove with winning in their respective $150,000 final on Monday (June 22), a card featuring nearly $1 million in purses. Hunterton Bred, Born & Sold Three Times Bettor (driven by Dexter Dunn) maintained control late from a tough first half to score a neck victory in the KYSS final for 4-year-old pacing mares in a 1:49.4 mile. Dunn found himself in a tight spot early as Rose (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) barreled from the center of the gate to swoop after leader Aintnothingucando (Yannick Gingras) marching to a :26.3 first quarter. Three Times Bettor tracked Rose up the rim until Wrenn cleared command, at which point Dunn ground his charge forward and reached the lead approaching a :54.3 half. Champagne Room (Tim Tetrick) soon angled off the pylons from fourth for an attack up the backside while Three Times Bettor cruised comfortably to clock three-quarters in 1:22.3. Dunn asked Three Times Bettor to accelerate rounding the last turn and got the jump on her peers as Unreasonable (Jason Bartlett) lifted off a second-over trip and gathered menacing momentum late. Three Times Bettor held her ground and kept a neck up on hard-charging Unreasonable at the beam with Rose left in third and Caviart Delight (Todd McCarthy) emerging from off the speed for fourth. A daughter of Bettor’s Delight-Three Times A Lady, Three Times Bettor competes for owner Thaddeus Wier and has now won six races from seven starts this season and 15 races from 24 starts in her career, good for $392,814 in earnings. She paid $2.96 to win.
June 22, 2026
Oak Grove hosted seven total $40,000 divisions of KYSS for pacing 2-year-olds with four splits for the males and three splits for the fillies on Monday (June 22). On the male pacing side, Midnight Drive (Dexter Dunn, 1:53.2; $4.24) posted the top performance with a front-stepping victory by four lengths. Jamie Sullivan trains the colt by Stay Hungry -Turnoffthelights for owners David Hamm, Glenn Phillips and Frank Chick. The other dashes for pacing males were won by I’m Toohot For You (Marcus Miller, 1:54.1; $13.64), Atlantic Ivey (Atlee Bender, 1:53.3; $4.90) and Ballarddrgoldfngr (Archie Buford, 1:54.3; $7.10).
June 21, 2026
East Rutherford, NJ – Trainer Chris Ryder took both $60,000 New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund finals for 3-year-olds on the pace Saturday night at The Meadowlands. His win in the colts and geldings division impressed, but did not come with the horse the betting public expected. Obliterate , a 10-1 outsider despite having won his NJSDF preliminary a week ago in 1:48.3, worked out a good trip after an aggressive drive from Chris’ son, Patrick, to score his fourth career win from just 10 tries. Bookie J, Obliterate’s headline-grabbing stablemate who was a perfect five-for-five in 2026 heading into the race, worked out an ideal second-over trip, but the 1-9 public choice couldn’t deal with Obliterate late, who closed with a rush after leaving the gate in a lightning-quick :26.3. He raced in the pocket until mid-stretch, when the colt by Perfect Sting -Triple V Hanover vacated the rail while in tight quarters, before a late burst of speed got him to the finish three-quarters-of-a-length in front of Bookie J. Corvette Stingray raced bravely first-over and hung in there to claim the show dough. “We really liked this horse all along and it’s taken a few starts to get him right where we want him,” said Patrick. “My dad’s always had so much faith in him and he’s always believed in me driving him. “I wasn’t real happy putting him in the two-hole. I just kind of took my chances. I was hoping I’d get room (late), and it was really tight. When I snuck my way out, he gave me a really good run. I couldn’t believe how well he responded.” Obliterate completed the mile in 1:49.4 and returned $22.40 to his backers.
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