New York's finest three-year-old trotters will compete for nearly $500,000 in purses in the Empire Breeders Classic finals at Vernon Downs this Sunday evening (June 9).
The filly final, which will be contested for a purse of $237,600, has been carded as Race 6. Returning elimination winners Perfect Alliance and Wygant Lady, both of which are daughters of Credit Winner, will begin from Post 3 and Post 4, respectively, which were chosen by their connections as a perk for their elimination wins.
Perfect Alliance led at every call in last week's race and went on to lower her record to 1:55.2 in the process for driver Yannick Gingras, who will return the mount for Sunday's race to Ron Pierce, who was listed last week but was unable to drive due to a racing accident the night before at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Perfect Alliance races for four owners now, as principal owner Jeff Gural (Little E, LLC) has taken on Jason Settlemoir, Dave Stolz and Art Geiger as partners in the filly since her win last week. Bob Bencal is the trainer.
Wygant Lady has won half of her eight starts this year for trainer Taylor Gower, who shares ownership of the filly with her breeder, Alan Stull. She reduced her speed record considerably in last week's race, seizing the win with a furious late rally to score in 1:56.2 for Cat Manzi, who will be back aboard for the final.
The colts will race for $259,900 in their final, and it is a deep, competitive group.
Tirade Hanover scored in last week's faster elimination win, turning a perfect Vic Kirby drive into a 1:53.1 lifetime best in what was his first start of the season. He'll start from Post 3, chosen for him by trainer Tyler Raymer and owners Leigh Raymer, Stephen Moss, Harold and Helane Solomon. The Crazed gelding edged past the $200,000 mark in career earnings with last week's win, his eighth in a dozen starts.
Jurgen Hanover, who was lightly raced at two, has been at it for a while this season and is currently boasting a perfect six-for-six record as a sophomore. After having swept the Weiss Series at Pocono Downs, 'Jurgen' set all the fractions in his EBC elimination before winning in 1:54.1. He will start just outside his main rival for driver David Miller. Donna Marshall trains the Credit Winner colt for Norm and Gerald Smiley and the TLP Stable.
First-race post time on Sunday will be 6:45 p.m., and the supporting card includes nine divisions of New York Excelsior races for sophomore trotting fillies and colts.
(With files from Vernon Downs)