Driver Tyler Buter swept a pair of $51,500 divisions of New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) with popular two-year-old trotting fillies Sadbirdstillsing and R Melina on Friday, Aug. 25 at Vernon Downs.

After starting her career with three runner-up finishes in stakes action, 3-5 favourite Sadbirdstillsing ($3.30) broke her maiden in the first division for trainer Tony Alagna.

Sadbirdstillsing was quick off the gate but landed in fourth through first-half fractions of :28.4 and :58.2 while Seven Year Itch (Joe Bongiorno), Evangelina (Marcus Miller) and Star Attraction (Mark MacDonald) all traded turns on the lead. Shuffled back to third, Seven Year Itch went first-up heading to three-quarters with Sadbirdstillsing following the cover. As the Seven Year Itch engaged in a battle with Star Attraction on top turning for home and began to edge ahead, Sadbirdstillsing rallied three-wide and got up in a photo finish for the win, hitting the wire in a career-best 1:56.3. She won by a head over Seven Year Itch, with Star Attraction settling for third nearly two lengths behind. 

Sadbirdstillsing is a homebred filly by Chapter Seven out of Fade Into You for Crawford Farms, co-owned by Pryde Stables Inc. of North York, Ont.

R Melina ($2.20) was an easy winner in the second division, leading wire-to-wire to score her third straight NYSS victory for trainer John Butenschoen.

Taking control from the outermost post four in the field with one scratch (Sister Mary Maude), R Melina cruised through splits of :29.3, 1:00.3 and 1:30 before sprinting home in :27.3 to keep her rivals at bay. The 1-9 favourite won in 1:57.3 over the track that was downgraded to 'good' by 2-3/4 lengths over the ground-saving Shirin (Marcus Miller) and the pocket-popping final turn challenger, Erin (Dan Daley).

Also by Chapter Seven and out of Goodtogo Hanover, R Melina improved her record to four-for-five for owners M And L Of Delaware and Alabama Harness Associate.  

Buter also drove pair of $20,000 Excelsior Series division winners: the Marcus Melander-trained filly Dozen (Chapter Seven-Sequin), who notched her fourth straight series win in a career-best 1:55.4, and five-time series winner Barn CJ (Crazy Wow-Fractured Dream) in a new mark of 1:57.1 for trainer Steven Pratt.

The other Excelsior split went to Crowbar Girl (Chapter Seven-Miss Trixton), who dropped down from NYSS competition to lower her mark to 1:57.1 with Bongiorno driving for the Ron Burke stable.

Live harness racing resumes at Vernon Downs on Saturday, Aug. 26 with post time at 6:05 p.m. for the 13-race card.

(Photo of Sadbirdstillsing winning her New York Sire Stakes division on Aug. 25 at Vernon Downs)