The end of the 2023 New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) season at Monticello Raceway comes on Monday, Aug. 28. The eight-race card is highlighted with one dash of Sire Stakes worth $104,400 and three heats of the $20,000 Excelsior Stakes for combined purses of $164,000.
The lone division of NYSS has six contestants, with post five starter Keep Asking (pictured above) installed as the morning line favourite. Keep Asking was a Sire Stakes winner in his last start at Vernon Downs, equalling the 1:54 track record. The son of Chapter Seven is trained by George Ducharme and has Jordan Stratton in the bike. In his five starts, Keep Asking has amassed $96,613. Titan Your Grip (PP3) has finished second a total of four times this season and along the way has banked $86,025. Titan Your Grip will be driven by regular pilot Mark MacDonald. Chaplind (PP4) is looking to recapture his strong start of the year where Chapland scored at Yonkers in 1:59.3 in NYSS competition.
Each of the three Excelsior races has a standout as well. Tobern, the top point earner in the Excelsior class will start from the rail in the third race. Tobern had strung together an impressive five-race win streak that was halted in his last start when he finished second to Fringed at Vernon Downs. Tobern is trained and driven by John Stark Jr.
Inflation (PP7, J. Stratton) leads the way in the first division, the second race on the card. He has consecutive wins at Vernon and Saratoga, taking both of his divisions with relative ease. Lucas Wallin co-owns and trains the son of Chapter Seven with owners Mal and Janet Burroughs and Shemay Stables.
In the third Excelsior division, the morning line choice is Voss Blue Chip (PP3 - J. Bartlett), who also has recent wins at Vernon and Saratoga with earnings of $36,165. The son of E L Titan is trained by Jared Bako. Sky Box will score from post four with Mark MacDonald in the sulky; he is a two-time winner this year with recent wins at Saratoga and Tioga for trainer Paul Kelley.
The existing track record for this age and category is 1:58, set by former Dan Patch winner Fourth Dimension in 2014. First post time for the eight-race card is 12:10 p.m.
(Monticello)