On Tuesday, July 15, Monticello Raceway will play host to three-year-old trotting colts and geldings in both the New York Sire Stakes and the Excelsior Series.
Altogether, the two NYSS events and five Excelsior races will offer more than $163,000 in purses.
The NYSS events mark the third of eight legs for the sophomore trotters at various New York racetracks. The colts and geldings that compete in the legs will earn points. The top eight point recipients will earn a berth to the rich NYSS finals, which will be raced on September 13 at Yonkers Raceway.
Each NYSS division on Tuesday will offer a $59,100 purse of $59,100. The two Excelsior division ‘A’ races will offer purses of $12,600, while the division ‘B’ races will carry purses of $6,600.
The NYSS trots have been carded as Race 8 and 12 on Tuesday’s 13-dash card.
The first NYSS split pits Gural Hanover, an altered son of Crazed-Givemearing, against Expressive Action, a Conway Hall-Yettas Angel colt. Both young trotters have similar credentials. Each has three wins, one second and one third from five starts. Both have won on big tracks in 1:54 and a piece, although Expressive Action has already earned over $167,000 while Gural Hanover’s current bankroll tops $75,000. However, the latter has defeated the former in the two previous NYSS events at Saratoga Raceway and at Buffalo Raceway.
The oddsmaker has set Gural Hanover’s morning-line odds at 4-5, while Expressive Action has been rated at 2-1. Gural Hanover is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, Little E Stable and Panhellenic Stable. Gural Hanover will start from Post 4 with Jim Morrill Jr. at the controls. Expressive Action, trained by John Grasso for the John Grasso Stable, Inc., will have his regular driver, Mike Simons, in the sulky when they start from Post 2.
Cash Me Out, with three consecutive victories – two in NYSS action – has been rated the 2-1 morning line favourite for the second NYSS division. He scored a 1:56.4 come-from-behind triumph over Expressive Action at Buffalo Raceway in his last start. The Cash Hall-China Victory colt has four wins and three seconds from eight starts and over $88,000 in earnings. Owned by Traylor Racing, trained by Cheryl McGivern, Cash Me Out will start on the far outside from Post 6 with Mickey McGivern at the lines.
First-race post time for the card will be 12:50 p.m.
(With files from Monticello)