The Empire’s annual caravan made its seasonal downstate debut Monday night, with Yonkers Raceway hosting the New York Sire Stakes' Joe Goldstein Trot for three-year-old fillies.
Not there’s ever a bad time to break a maiden, but going for $40,768 qualifies as a good time to do so.
Pylon-diving, rank outsider Young Bride (Scott Young, $60.50) saved every inch of ground in the second statebred event, getting to the line a nose before Straight A Student (Mark MacDonald) in 1:58.3. Goosebump Hanover (Jim Morrill, Jr.) was a pocketed third as the 11-10 favourite.
“I thought we had it won, but the stretch is long as I saw Mark (MacDonald, Straight A Student) coming on the far outside,” Young said after his first local drive.
“We always thought this filly had some talent, but she was very hot as a two-year-old. We’ve taken our time with her, and it seems to have paid off.”
Young Bride, a daughter of Lucky Chucky co-owned by Robert Young, Scott & Linda Worton and Premier & Associates Farm, she’s now 1-for-4 this season and 1-for-8 in her brief career.
George Brennan doubled his sire stakes fun, ‘getting the bob’ in the $40,768 opening event with pole-sitter Lindylicious ($10.80) in a life-best 1:58.4. Dizzy Broad (Morrill) was second as the 9-5 favourite, with Dazzling Dollars (Trond Smedshammer) third.
For fourth choice Lindylicious, a Credit Winner miss co-owned by (trainer) Gilberto Garcia-Herrera and Donald & Barbara Arnstine, it was her second win in nine seasonal starts.
Brennan was a pocketed winner in the $41,568 third NYSS grouping with Credit to Thelimit ($7.20), who picked off Canstopwontstop (Sears) by a length in 1:59.1. Zette Starlet (Smith) was a rallying third at 94-1, while 1-2 favourite Winning Princess (Morrill, Jr.) jumped it off early.
For second choice Credit to Thelimit, a daughter of Credit Winner trained by Sam Schillaci for co-owners Peter Barbato, Matthew Bencic, Peter Bova and Jodi Schillaci, it was her first win in four ’16 tries.
The evening’s fastest was saved for the last division, as last season’s frosh divisional champ, Non Stick (Dan Dube, $2.70) handily won her soph debut. From post five in the $41,568 final NYSS event, the odds-on miss sailed through intervals of :29, :58.3; 1:27.3 and a life-best-matching 1:56.3. She defeated Swinging Royalty (Chris Lems) by a length-and-a-half, with Fad Finance (Smedshammer) third.
For Non Stick, a Lucky Chucky lass co-owned by (trainer) Ake Svanstedt and Little E LLC, she ran her perfect resume to 7-for-7.
(Yonkers Raceway)