Unreasonable makes it four in a row at The Red Mile
August 4, 2025
Lexington, KY — On Monday (Aug. 2) under hazy skies, Hunterton's Bred, Born & Sold Unreasonable and Mr Mouton, captured the two $80,000 first round legs of the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series for sophomore filly pacers and 3-year-old male trotters. There were also three $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series contests, five $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series legs and two $10,000 Kentucky Wildcat Series legs.
Unreasonable soars in Kentucky Championship Series
Marcus Miller and Unreasonable were simply to strong for their competition in the field of seven and stopped the clock in 1:48.4 to tally the fourth consecutive victory for the daughter of Huntsville-Roaring To Go. Reckless Abandon (Todd McCarthy) was second and Caviart Delight (Scott Zeron) was third.
Trained by Erv Miller, Unreasonable was assigned the rail and settled in fourth while Champagne Problems (Andrew McCarthy) went straight to front. That filly set the first split of :26.3, then relinquished control to the public’s second choice Looksgoodinloulou (Yannick Gingras). That filly took the field through a half in :54 and three-quarters in 1:21.3.
As the fillies reached the final bend, Looksgoodinloulou and Champagne Problems began to fade from their efforts while Unreasonable was ready to roll. She went to the front at the top of the lane and uncorked a :26.3 last panel to have her picture taken.
Bred by Steve Stewart and Frank Chick, Unreasonable improved her career resume to 17-8-2-3 and has banked $308,582. The filly is 6-5-1- this season and is on a four-race win streak. Her only loss was on June 24 in a sire stakes leg at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel by a head.
Unreasonable is third foal out of Roaring To Go (Art Major, $431,999), who is a half-sibling to Well Lets See (Well Said, $122,124), Queen Of The Pride (McArdle, $787,211) and Cold Decked (Racing Hill, $107,389).
Purchased for $55,000 at the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale by her trainer’s stable and David J. Miller, Unreasonable’s final time was a new lifetime best.
The filly paid $4.50 to win as the favorite.
Sophomore pacing filly Hunterton Born Miki And Minnie , just named No. 1 in the North American Top 10 polls, didn’t take long to show the talent that earned her that spot, winning the single third-round Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event held Thursday (Aug. 7) at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Going for $109,440, the richest harness purse in eastern Pennsylvania so far this year, the daughter of Always B Miki drew the outside in a field of seven, and driver Dexter Dunn elected to get a seat with Miki And Minnie early as Asphalt took over from Lily White Hanover by the :27.1 first quarter. There was no movement as the field reached the half in :55, but then Time Of The Season came outside with Rodeo Drive Deo — the only horse to beat Miki And Minnie this year — on her helmet, and Dunn’s hand was forced. His filly was able to launch a giant third-quarter uncovered charge to take the lead by the 1:22.2 station near the far turn. From there, the race was for place, as neither Dunn nor Miki And Minnie looked at all unruffled as they won by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:49.4. Rodeo Drive Deo finished strongly to edge Time Of The Season for second. Miki And Minnie is now six-for-seven with $348,222 earned this year and 12-for-18 with $1,182,308 earned lifetime for newly-minted Hall Of Fame trainer Chris Ryder and the partnership of Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo, and Lawrence Minowitz. Possibilities for her upcoming schedule include the Lynch Memorial at Pocono on Aug. 16, a Sire Stakes prelim at The Meadows on Aug. 29 if needed or desired, and her $300,000 PASS Championship on Sept. 6, also at The Meadows.
Two $52,500 divisions of New York Sire Stakes for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings went postward at Batavia Downs on Thursday (Aug. 7) evening and there were no surprises as to who won those events as chalk bettors all went home happy. And between stakes and overnight victories, Jason Bartlett won a total of six races on Thursday. In the first of the two splits, Hunterton's Bred, Born & Sold Fragment ( Huntsville -The Show Returns) controlled the field from the lead before pulling away late at 1-9. Jason Bartlett put Fragment on the point and set soft fractions of :29.4, 1:00 and 1:29.2 while the rest of the field stayed on the pegs and tried to keep pace. As the race rounded turn four, Fragment started to pull away and he was clear by three entering the stretch. From there, Fragment was completely unchallenged and pulled away by 4-1/2 lengths at the light in 1:56.2. It was the fourth win in five starts for Fragment ($2.10) who is owned by Engblom Stable and Douglas Sipple and trained by Per Engblom.
On Wednesday (Aug. 6), The Red Mile conducted two cards of contests due to an intense thunderstorm in the area. Endurance collected his fourth consecutive victory in the second round of the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series. The 14-race card also included three $30,000 second round Kentucky Commonwealth Series legs, three $15,000 second round divisions of the Kentucky Golden Rod Series and two $10,000 second round legs of the Kentucky Wildcat Series. All events were for 2-year-old male trotters. Favored Deuce Pop (Todd McCarthy) took the second division of this series in 1:55.2 for trainer Randal Jerrell. The son of Tactical Landing -Atlantic Crest paid $3.82 to win. He was bred by Atlantic Trot Inc. and is owned by his trainer, breeder and Steve Stewart.
Hunterton's Bred, Born & Sold Endurance and Brandon Blvd won their $111,111 Kentucky Sire Stakes divisions to star on a two-card day of freshman stakes action at The Red Mile on Wednesday Aug. 6 as the track hosted a rescheduled program in the morning, followed by its regular afternoon racing. The two-year-old male pacers contested stakes events on the early non-wagering slate, which was postponed by a day due to thunderstorms, and the rookie trotting colts and geldings went to battle on the later card. Endurance won his fourth straight KYSS event with a commanding performance in the sole Kentucky Championship Series contest for trotters. Leaving from post five in the field of nine, the son of Captain Corey-Love Session set fractions of :28.4, :57.2 and 1:25.3 while Silverstein (Dave Miller) gave chase in second the entire mile. Endurance simply had too much on this day, crossing the line a length in front in 1:53.1. Lindy Living (Yannick Gingras) closed from seventh at three-quarters to finish third. Bred by Steve Stewart and Martti Ala, Endurance 's record is now four-for-five, and he has earned $210,255. Chris Beaver trains him and shares ownership with Bill Manes, Leo Fleming, and Mark Moger. Endurance is the third foal out of his dam and was a $19,444 yearling purchase. His dam (Muscle Massive, $28,643) is a half-sibling to Triumphant Caviar (Sjs Caviar, $811,547), Prayer Session (Like A Prayer, $777,990), Theatrical Session (Broadway Hall, $192,637), and Centurion ATM (Sjs Caviar, $731,374). The colt paid $3.40 to win as the favourite.
There were three $41,667 Kentucky Commonwealth Series divisions for trotters and a pair for pacers at The Red Mile. In the first trotting division, Scott Zeron and Hunterton's Born & Sold Inexpressable hit the finish line a length in front in 1:56 for trainer Lucas Wallin. Gorilla Sighting (Andrew McCarthy) was second, and An Honest Buck (Tim Tetrick) took the show spot. Inexpressable is by Walner and out of Ineffable. He broke his maiden in his second start for owners Wallin Racing Stable Inc. and Karin Walter. Inexpressable paid $2.96 to win as the public’s top selection.
Lexington, KY – On one of the most beautiful evenings of The Red Mile meet to date, fans turned out to enjoy Sunday Night Lights (Aug. 3), sponsored by Crawford Farms. Those in attendance witnessed Yo Tillie and Sippinonsearoc display their prowess over the red clay in $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series events for sophomore female trotters and male pacers. The 16-race card also included three $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series first-round legs, five $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series legs and three $10,000 Kentucky Wildcat Series legs. Yo Tillie shines in Kentucky Championship Series Todd McCarthy steered Hunterton Sold Yo Tillie to her eighth consecutive triumph dating back to last October from post position five in a field of seven 3-year-old trotting fillies. The heavily favored Andrew Harris-trained daughter of Tactical Landing -Consolidator allowed Pink Bomb (Andrew McCarthy) to establish splits of :28.3, :55.1 and 1:23.3 while trotting in third. Her pilot decided to give the talented filly her cue heading into the drive for home and she responded with a final quarter in :27.2 to hit the line in 1:51.1. Stash Some Cash (Yannick Gingras) raced well to finish second with R Lady W (Scott Zeron) closing from last at the half-mile marker to come home third. Bred by Gbw Breeding Farms Inc. and Black Creek Farm, Yo Tillie improved her career record to 17-13-1-1 and boosted her bankroll to $467,383. The filly was purchased privately by her trainer, William Pollock and Bruce Areman from Verlin Yoder after completing her freshman campaign. She is a perfect five-for-five for her new connections.
In the second Gold division at Woodbine, Doug McNair drove Hunterton Born Cher Hill to a two-length victory over Lo An Behold (Louis-Philippe Roy) in a career-best 1:55.4. It was the first career win for the homebred daughter of Muscle Mass-Lauramarie Hill owned and bred by Tom Hill of England and trained by McNair’s father, Gregg. Doug McNair had Cher Hill on the front before the :59 half and cruised from there. Timeless (Todd Ratchford) was second, followed by Figuratively (Tyler Jones) and the favourite, A Splash Of Green (James MacDonald), who made a break near the half and recovered to pick up the final cheque. “I wanted to leave out of there, take a look at things and probably follow one or two of them, if I could,” said McNair. “I was just happy she drew away from a couple of the other bearcats [Bingo Night and Flowing Tribute]. “It’s just funny how you get a couple of nice fillies dad trains and then, this year, there are a couple of really special ones that were in the other division. “[Cher Hill’s] attitude is her best attribute. She relaxes in the barn and is easy to drive and she usually trots perfectly. Last week, it really surprised me. I was leaving a little bit with her and she made a miscue on me. That’s a two-year-old trotting filly for you.” Cher Hill paid $9 to win. Cher Hill now has a record of 1-0-2 in four starts and earnings of $57,504.
On one of the most beautiful evenings of The Red Mile meet to date, fans turned out to enjoy Sunday Night Lights (Aug. 3), sponsored by Crawford Farms. The 16-race card also included three $30,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series first-round legs, five $15,000 Kentucky Golden Rod Series legs and three $10,000 Kentucky Wildcat Series legs. In the first Commonwealth Series division for 3-year-old trotting fillies Hunterton Born & Sold Kadena (A. McCarthy) put on a show from the nine-hole in the field of 10 for trainer Marcus Melander. The royally bred daughter of Gimpanzee -Mission Brief defeated Tactical Moni (Dexter Dunn) and Ms Prada (Gingras) in a new lifetime mark of 1:52.1. Rebounding from a fourth-place finish in her $50,000 Hambletonian Oaks elimination at The Meadowlands on July 26, the filly went straight to the lead and clicked off fractions of :27.3, :56.3 and 1:24.1. Tactical Moni gave chase throughout but could not head the winner while Ms Prada closed but ran out of real estate. Bred by Mission Brief Stable, Kadena is owned by Jeff Snyder and S R F Stables. Kadena’s career record now stands at 13-4-3-1 with $108,017 in earnings.
East Rutherford, NJ – Following odds-on triumphs in the Jerry Silverman Memorial and Tompkins-Geers Stakes, 1-9 favorite Hunterton Born Miki And Minnie made easy work of her six foes in the $95,650 Grade 3 Shady Daisy, for 3-year-old pacing fillies, on Saturday (Aug. 2) at the Meadowlands, equaling her 1:48.3 lifetime mark and scoring her third consecutive Big M stakes win in the act. Driver Dexter Dunn floated Miki And Minnie forward into midfield on the first turn as Beach Babe (driven by Yannick Gingras) split Thebeautifulthings (Kyle Husted) and Gigglingonthebeach (James MacDonald) to control a punishing :25.4 first quarter. Upon straightening up the backstretch, Dunn angled Miki And Minnie off the pegs, and the Always B Miki -That’s The Ticket filly steadily advanced to clear Beach Babe at the completion of a :54.1 half. Miki And Minnie faced her lone true test of the race midway around the far turn when Rodeo Drive Deo (David Miller) advanced first-over from fifth and took aim at her nearing three-quarters in 1:22.2, but the 2024 Dan Patch Award winner parried her outside challenger with a :26.1 sprint home to keep Rodeo Drive Deo 1-3/4 lengths at bay while measured to the winning post. Jordanna Hanover (Jason Bartlett) chased Rodeo Drive Deo’s cover to finish third, another 5-1/2 lengths behind. “She’s a little bit of a lazy filly, and she’s starting to learn to race on the front,” admitted Chris Ryder, who trains Miki And Minnie for the partnership of Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz, who also bred the filly. “She’s just a such a special horse; it’s great to have her.” The Shady Daisy marked Miki And Minnie’s 12th win from 18 career starts, and it lifted her lifetime earnings to $1,174,457. She paid $2.10 to win.
East Rutherford, NJ – Royally bred Hunterton Apex notched a hard-fought win as the second betting choice while Emmas Mystery CCL ripped to victory at long odds in their respective $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals, for trotting 2-year-olds, on Saturday (Aug. 2) at The Meadowlands. Apex seized the lead late and kept his head in front to the finish of a 1:53.2 mile to win the New Jersey Sire Stakes Final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Driver Dexter Dunn landed in fourth out of post 2, directly behind 3-5 favorite Diabolic Hill, and bided his time as Ardonne cleared the front in a :28 first quarter. Pocket-sitter Maga Hill soon tipped outside to challenge and then took over the lead before a :56.4 half, all while Dunn pressured Diabolic Hill to flush outside moving for the final turn. Diabolic Hill obliged out of third and lunged uncovered to blitz Maga Hill to three-quarters in 1:25 with Apex in tow on the turn for home. Dunn fanned off cover in the stretch and overhauled Diabolic Hill in mid-stretch but had more competition coming with Ardonne zipping off a ground-saving trip and after the leader late. Apex reached for the finish and staved off Ardonne by a head while Diabolic Hill settled for third and Kingmen took fourth. Apex, a colt by Walner out of the world champion trotting mare and 2015 Hambletonian runner-up Mission Brief, scored his second win from three starts and did so in a lifetime-best time. “We’ve spent about $2 million on Mission Brief’s offspring so far – and this is the third, fourth one we’ve got – and he definitely showed right away that he was the best one,” trainer Marcus Melander said. “He had such a bound in his gait and was training down great, but you never really know until you start racing them.” Jeff Snyder, S R F Stable and Steve Stewart share ownership on Apex, who has now banked $131,250 in his career. He paid $5.40 to win.
