Vernon Downs will host the Big Apple Stakes eliminations for freshman pacers and trotters on Saturday, Oct. 4.

There will be two $20,000 USD eliminations for each of the two-year-old divisions. The top four finisher in each elimination and a random fifth-place finisher will qualify for the Big Apple finals to be held on Saturday, Oct. 11 with purses of $250,000 USD for each division.

Fragment (Jason Bartlett) and Hunt Off The Press (Tyler Buter) are set to square off in the first of the two eliminations for colt and gelding pacers. Trained by Per Engblom, Fragment, a colt by Huntsville out of The Show Returns, has six wins this season including the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) final, bankrolling more than $500,000. The Jared Bako-trained Hunt Off The Press, a gelding by Huntsville out of Off The Press, was the runner-up to Fragment in the NYSS final. He has won half of his eight starts, accumulating nearly $400,000 in purses.

The Kevin Lare-trained Southwind Iron (Jason Bartlett) is the favourite in the second elimination. The American Ideal-Southwind Inertia colt has six wins this season including the New York Excelsior final.

Odds On Enigma (Jim Marohn Jr.) is the one to beat in the first elimination for the filly pacers. Trained by Scott Di Domenico, the daughter of Huntsville-Yellow Diamond has two wins including a NYSS win at Vernon. 

Andrew Stafford trains the overwhelming favourite in the second elimination, Liberty Style (Jason Bartlett). The American Style-Fly In Style miss has won five of her eight career starts, including the NYSS championship, while earnings more than $400,000.

The winner of the NYSS final for two-year-old male trotters, AI (Brett Beckwith) is the one to beat in the first elimination for that division. Ron Burke trains the five-time winning colt by Chapter Seven out of Image Of Bee. He has earned nearly $460,000 in nine starts.

Bruce Clarke trains Titans Mischief, the morning line favourite in the second elimination. A half-length behind AI in the NYSS final, the E L Titan-Morosita Bi colt has three wins and six seconds in nine starts with nearly $390,000 in earnings.

Nezuko Kamado S (Jason Bartlett) is the one to beat in the first elimination for trotting fillies. The Chapter Seven-Zefira Kronos IT filly is trained by Marcus Melander and is coming off a victory in the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes -- one of her three victories on the season in her sixth start that boosted her bankroll over the $300,000 mark.

The favourite to win the second elimination is the George Ducharme-trained Sharp Seven (Matt Kakaley). The filly by Chapter Seven out of Lookin Sharp has won five races in nine starts, including the NYSS final. The winner of more than half a million dollars is riding a four-race win streak into the Big Apple.

The eliminations are the last eight races on the 15-dash card, which starts at 5:05 p.m.

(With files from Vernon Downs; photo of Fragment winning the NYSS final at Batavia Downs)