Mother Of Art ($2.70) was the fastest of the two division winners in the New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old filly pacers at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday night (June 22) as she went gate-to-wire in 1:53.4 to beat stablemate Dime A Dance by three-quarters of a length.
The winning time just missed tying the track record for three-year-old filly pacers of 1:53.3, set in 2015 by Mosquito Blue Chip.
In the other division, American Ivy (Andy Miller) got a perfect pocket trip and roared past Angels Rockn Pink to register the 1:56 victory over the fast track.
Mother Of Art protected the inside post position at the start in the second division and set sail from the rail with splits of :28, :57 and 1:26. While Dime A Dance (Kakaley) made a mild threat late in the lane, it wasn't nearly enough as Mother Of Art comfortably prevailed. Time On My Hands (Jim Morrill Jr.) took the show position.
"She felt real good off the car," driver Mark MacDonald said of Mother Of Art. "She was good throughout the mile and had plenty left in the end."
The victory was the second in seven attempts in 2016 for Mother Of Art (Art Major-Mommy Robin Q). The Ron Burke trainee upped her seasonal winnings to $68,287 and lifetime earnings to $151,543.
The first division may have been won at the start as American Ivy, who started from the six post, showed early gate speed and was able to drop in second behind the pacesetting Angels Rockn Pink.
"I intended on leaving with her," Miller said in hopes of getting the lead with American Ivy. While they didn't get there, it all worked out perfectly. "I was content in following Angels Rockn Pink and she [American Ivy] performed well in the passing lane," Miller stated.
With fractions of :28.4, :58 and 1:28.1, those fractions seemed reasonable enough for Angels Rockn Pink to go gate-to-wire. American Ivy went into the passing lane and dropped a :27.3 final panel on the field to spring the $14.60 upset. Angels Rockn Pink (Mark MacDonald) held on for second while Encore Deo (Matt Kakaley) finished in third.
Owned by Joe P Racing LLC and trained by Julie Miller, American Ivy (American Ideal-Haunted) has now won twice in seven starts this season, moving her 2016 earnings to $81,800 and lifetime bankroll to $170,290. Both of her victories have come in Sire Stakes competition, with the first coming on May 23 at Monticello Raceway.
In the $15,000 Excelsior A Series race, Rolling Going Gone covered the mile in 1:59 and returned $2.30 with Morrill Jr. in the sulky.
The Excelsior B Series saw Wine Snob (Kakaley) use a 1:57.3 time in score the popular $2.30 win while in the second division, Stirling Electra (Morrill Jr.) posted a 1:58 clocking and returned $2.90 to her backers.
In the $10,000 Open Pace for the filly and mares, Who Says That (Drew Monti) rallied on the far outside and posted the $16.00 decision in a lifetime-best of 1:55.
Morrill Jr. finished the evening with four wins while Kakaley had a double.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)