There are showdowns brewing as the three-year-old filly pacers take to the track for the New York Sire Stakes at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday night (June 16).
In what will be the most anticipated event on the 13-race program that gets underway at 5:00 p.m., Heart Of Mine and Purameri will collide in the $37,533 division slated for the sixth race.
Both Heart Of Mine and Purameri each posted victories in the first round of Sire Stakes action on June 2 at Saratoga. A daughter of Roll With Joe - Acquavella, Heart Of Mine took her leg in 1:54.3 while Purameri (American Ideal - J K Pure Pearl) used a :28.3 last panel to take the 1-1/2 length victory in 1:56.2.
Heart Of Gold has been perfect on the season, winning all four starts. Besides her NYSS victory, she took a leg of the Reynolds Stakes at Yonkers on May 7 in 1:55. She is by far the top money winner of the 17 entrants in Wednesday's NYSS with career earnings of $185,865. Heart Of Gold will score from the six post for driver Scott Zeron.
Purameri, who begins from the four spot with driver John MacDonald, has put $99,803 in the bank and nearly half of that came from her victory in the $90,000 Massachusetts Stakes at Plainridge back on October 26, 2020. She covered the mile in 1:54.1, registering the 2-1/2 length decision over So Amazing.
The remainder of the field includes Easy To Please (Jim Morrill Jr.), DC Batgirl (Matt Kakaley), Shania Blue Chip (Drew Monti) and Therewasthisgirl (Shawn Gray).
The opening division, worth $36,834, has a field of five going to the post. Blue Me A Kiss (Morrill Jr.) arrives a perfect 2-for-2 on the season which includes a 1:54.3 win in the Excelsior A Series at Saratoga back on June 2.
Her main foe appears to be So Diva (Mark MacDonald) who drew the rail. A winner of four races in her last five, she is fresh off a 1:54.4 romp at Saratoga on June 9.
Rightfully Mine (Gray) should have a say in the race as well. A winner of $132,360 lifetime, she was third behind Test Of Faith in the Sire Stakes at Saratoga on June 2.
The rest of the entrants include Jubilee Queen (Renaldo Morales III)) and Party Queen (Kakaley).
The fifth race, worth $37,533, is the most interesting one of the Sire Stakes events with a very competitive field.
Albergita Hanover (Zeron) has career earnings of $159,027 and hits the Hamburg half mile with just one start in the 2021 campaign, that being a second place finish in the Sire Stakes at Saratoga on June 2.
Carrington (Mark MacDonald), who drew the rail, has been in the money seven times in eight appearances, missing by a heartbreaking head or less in five of them this season. She has just one victory in 2021 but has $43,418 in earnings on the year.
Summer Rae (Morrill Jr.) has four second place finishes in six outings this season while Tava (Kakaley) has been first or second in her last three appearances. Tava lost to Purameri by 1-1/2 lengths in her most recent try.
Also in the field are Major Lover (Gray) and Roll On Mama (Drew Monti)
There will also be a $15,000 Excelsior A contest and a $6,400 Excelsior B race which will kick off the card.
There's a $1,395 carryover in the Pick 5 which begins in the second race.
For more information including the latest news, race replays, entries and results, go to buffaloraceway.com
(Buffalo)