D'Arcy packs field at Derby Lane Distance Classic

ST. PETERSBURG — Mick D'Arcy had his head buried in the racing program Wednesday night with pen in hand. After tallying the second-round qualifying points in the $80,000 Distance Classic at Derby Lane, D'Arcy had good news for wife Frances D'Arcy, who was sitting nearby.

"We've got all three (dogs) in (the next two rounds)," he said.

Mick D'Arcy's memorable March couldn't have finished any better. The 70-year-old kennel owner advanced every dog to tonight's field of 16 in Derby Lane's richest stakes race, less than a week after watching offspring from his 2008 Sprint Classic champion Kinloch Brae finish 1-2 in one of greyhound racing's top events in Australia.

O Ya Cruiser Max, Oya Stan The Man and Black Coral are D'Arcy's dogs in the Distance Classic, a 660-yard series that he calls "the top three-eighths race in the country."

His athletes have excelled despite their youth (none is older than 26 months) and inexperience (a total of 75 starts). "It's what they're going to do (next) that counts," D'Arcy said.

Action is in Races 6 (8:39 p.m.) and 10 (9:47). Qualifying ends Wednesday, and the winner of the April 9 finale earns $32,000.

O Ya Cruiser Max, the lone unbeaten qualifier who had only four 660-yard races entering the Distance Classic, is the points leader with 32. Oya Stan The Man ranks fifth with 23, and Black Coral is tied for 12th at 13. The finale is limited to eight starters.

O Ya Cruiser Max and Oya Stan The Man, both males, were bred by owner Gary Reicherts of Osage, Iowa. Their sire is the Australian stud dog Defrim Bale, who stands for Michael Strickland of Abilene, Kan. "(Defrim Bale) is getting a lot of distance dogs around the country," D'Arcy said.

Defrim Bale also is the sire of Matinee Idol Stakes winner Mac's Gossie, the Alabama Racing kennel standout who is second in points with 26.

Black Coral, a female, is sired by Derby Lane 550-yard track record holder Trent Lee. She is owned by Lisa Wheeler of Tierra Verde and Joe Bearson of Tampa.

Kinloch Brae, whose win in the 2008 Sprint Classic at 19-1 odds ranks as Derby Lane's biggest stakes upset in at least a decade, sired dogs that finished first (Moreira), second (Brad Hill Billy) and fifth (Asa Killa Queen) in the March 26 Golden Easter Egg Stakes at Wentworth Park in Sydney, Australia. Moreira earned $250,000 for trainer Jason Thompson.

Derby Lane kennel owner John Farmer also has three qualifiers left, including 2015 Flashy Sir award winner and All-America distance runner Highlyclassified, who is tied with kennelmate Prm Remington for third place with 24 points.

MORE DOGS: Kentucky Warren of Cal Holland kennel completed a perfect graded ladder climb Monday, winning at Grade A for his fifth consecutive victory to begin his career for kennel manager-trainer Justin Holland.