Opening round for KYSS

Main Stage shipped west after winning six of seven starts on the East Coast and the trip paid off when the son of Like A Prayer won his $25,000 opening-round division of the Kentucky Sire Stakes for 2-year-old colt trotters at The Red Mile Sunday night. Winning the first split was Safari Hall, another shipper from the East, who was elevated from second to first because of a ruling of interference against the horse that crossed the wire in front.

Main Stage equaled his career mark set at Rockingham Park with a 1:59.4 effort for trainer-driver Kim Ireland. Pembroke Prayer was second for Tony Hall with Sand Allistar third for Jeff Nisonger.

A son of Like A Prayer, Main Stage is owned by Lew Hayden of Pleasanton, Tex. The bay colt now has seven wins and a third in eight starts for earnings of more than $36,000.

Although the Like A Prayer gelding Safari Hall made a break just as he hit the wire, it didn't matter as Twin B Navigator and driver Tom Brinkerhoff were disqualified for causing interference. The Alton Lynch Jr.-owned-trained-and- driven Safari Hall was credited with a 2:00.4 effort in his first start after a pair of qualifiers at both Ocean Downs and the Meadowlands. Pray For Lou (Tyler Stillings) was third-placed-second with Prayer I Am (Jeff Fout) fourth-placed-third.

Also on the card was a $5,000 Open Trot and 2005 Merrie Annabelle winning-filly Miss Wisconsin had to settle for runner-up honors after leaving from the outside post nine to 30-1 outsider Proud Bushy. Tom Sells directed the winning Proud Bushy to the 1:56.2 score, besting the Marcus Johansson-driven Miss Wisconsin by 1 3/4 lengths. Two Weeks Notice (Rick Farrington) was third.

It was the second win in a row for Proud Bushy, who had been competing at Tioga Downs. The 5-year-old sonof Conway Hall is trained by Buck Sprinkle for owner Gordon Tabor. As for Miss Wisconsin, the 3-year-old daughter of Muscles Yankee is now winless in eight starts this year. She was coming off a fifth-place finish in the $750,000 Hambletonian Oaks at the MNeadowlands Aug. 5.

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