Favorites Bath Bomb and Women Layer successfully scored sweeps of the Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) series with wins in their respective $100,000 finals on the Sunday (May 11) card at Oak Grove, which featured four $100,000 KYSS finals for 4-year-olds.
Bath Bomb (driven by Andy McCarthy) opened the 13-race card with a powerful 1:49 4/5 lifetime-best win as the 1-4 chalk in the final for pacing mares. McCarthy circled the favorite to the point after a 26 second first quarter set by Asweetbeachhere (Todd McCarthy) and carried her speed through the remainder of the mile. She clocked a 54 3/5 half and 1:23 three-quarters and held firm in a final quarter sprint to stave off the pocket pop of Asweetbeachhere by a half-length while Peace Talks (Dexter Dunn) gave chase and settled for third. Capytreach (Peter Wrenn) finished seven lengths farther back in fourth.
A daughter of Lather Up, Bath Bomb won her seventh race from 19 starts and has now earned $219,360 for owner Morrison Racing Stables. Per Engblom trains the $2.66 winner.
Later in the card, Women Layer (Todd McCarthy) persevered from post eight to clock a virtually pillar-to-post win in the final for pacing males. Women Layer crossed to the point through a 26 1/5 first quarter to pocket stablemate Lou Hill (Dexter Dunn), who followed intently from the pocket through middle fractions of 54 1/5 and 1:21 3/5. Women Layer drifted off the bottom corner but maintained his advantage upon straightening, even while Lou Hill mustered a rally in late stretch, to win by a length in 1:49 2/5 - a lifetime-best. Better Is Nice (Andy McCarthy) gave chase in third and Copperfield (Marcus Miller) closed for fourth.
Virgil Morgan Jr. trains Women Layer, a gelding by Sweet Lou, for owners Let It Ride Stables, Douglas Overhiser, Jeff Fought Racing and Larry Wills. He won his 15th race from 24 starts, has now earned $486,079 and paid $4.10 to win.
Woman Of Passion (Todd McCarthy), denied a series sweep by a neck loss in the first preliminary, crushed her competition in the final for trotting mares with a 1:53 4/5 romp. McCarthy grabbed the top with Woman Of Passion past a 27 second opening quarter and coasted through a 56 4/5 half and 1:25 1/5 three-quarters while Spy Coast (Dexter Dunn) attempted an attack from first-over. However, Woman Of Passion gradually drew away through the final turn and sailed through the stretch to win by 5 1/4 lengths while Black Velvet As (Tony Hall) rallied from second-over for second. Spy Coast settled for third and Pisco Sour (Andy McCarthy) completed the superfecta.
Carter Pinske trains Woman Of Passion, a homebred daughter of Walner, for Al Libfeld. She won her 13th race from 27 starts, has now earned $414,499 and paid $2.92 to win.
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Ways N Means (Andy McCarthy) pulled the lone upset of the four KYSS finals with an 8-1 victory in the final for trotting males. McCarthy elected to climb into the action first-up after settling in sixth through a 27 1/5 first quarter while 9-5 second choice Bargain (Dexter Dunn) swooped forward to the lead. Bargain took over control to a 56 4/5 half as Ways N Means inched along the rim to the backside and drew to within a length of the lead nearing three-quarters in 1:26. After drawing to equal terms with Bargain, Ways N Means zipped forward and scooted away in the stretch drive to register a 2 1/4 length win in 1:53 4/5, chased by Ordained (Trace Tetrick), who followed the winner's cover for second. Bargain faded to third and Mister Dad (Todd McCarthy) took fourth.
A gelding by Muscle Mass trained by Paula Wellwood, Ways N Means won his seventh race from 28 starts and has now earned $239,328 for owners Dreamville Stable and Harbor Racing Stable LLC. He returned $18.40 to win.
A pair of Open Handicap Pace events highlighted the stakes undercard. Tip Top Cat (David Miller, 1:49 3/5; $6.54) stormed from last to first to win in the $33,000 Open Handicap Pace while Kobe's Gigi (Marvin Luna, 1:51 1/5; $4.76) rolled down the road to win in the $33,000 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace. Ron Burke trains Tip Top Cat, a 5-year-old gelding by Always B Miki, for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Canzone and Larry Karr. Walter Haynes Jr. trains Kobe's Gigi, a 7-year-old mare by JK Endofanera, for owners Leander Schwartz and Black And White Stable.
Racing continues at Oak Grove on Monday (May 12) with a 13-race card headlined by the $33,000 Open Trot, carded as race six. First race post time shifts at Oak Grove to 1:25 p.m. (CDT) for the remainder of the meet, with an exception of a 1:45 p.m. (CDT) post time for the Sunday, May 25 card.
--press release (Oak Grove)--