Friday night featured the first installment of the New York Sire Stakes of the year at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
The 14-race card was comprised of solely lady pacers including four divisions of the $44,000-plus Sire Stakes for sophomore fillies.
Tequila Monday (American Ideal-Margarita Monday-Ponder) began her title defense as the Chris Oakes-trained filly was the two-year-old Sire Stakes champion last year. With earnings of just shy of $190,000 as a freshman, Tequila Monday came into Friday’s stakes try off a career-best victory in Yonkers' Lismore Pace in which she stopped the timer in 1:52.2. Brian Sears piloted the sensational sophomore on Friday who, after moving out to the early lead, never looked back before scoring in 1:52.4, the fastest time of the night for all the Sire Stakes races. Roaring To Go (Brett Miller), who was the runner-up to Tequila Monday on the Night of Champions in 2016, came up second-best to her once again on Friday despite a strong showing of her own.
Daughters of Roll With Joe, the Mark Steacy-trained Obvious Blue Chip (Scott Zeron, 1:53.2) and Playing Favorites (Billy Dobson, 1:55.1) from the Jenny Melander stable each recorded stakes scores on Friday as did Artrageous (Brett Miller, 1:55.4), by Art Major, who went wire-to-wire for conditioner Andrew Stafford.
The next installment of the New York Sire Stakes at Saratoga won’t take place until July 20 when three-year-old trotting fillies are featured.
Godiva Seelster and driver Shawn Gray won the weekly $17,125 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace, holding off So Nice by a neck in 1:52.4 for trainer Dan Hennessey.
Live racing continues on Saturday night at the Spa with a 6:45 p.m. first post.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)