The Canadian father-son team of trainer Gregg McNair and driver Doug McNair opened Sunday's New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) action at Tioga Downs with a victory courtesy of two-year-old pacing filly Prescient Beauty.
Prescient Beauty ($2.80) held on to win the first of three $35,000-plus divisions featured on the afternoon racing program.
Prescient Beauty made every pole a winning one (:28.1, :57.1, 1:25.3, 1:54.1). Owned and bred by Kentucky's James Avritt Sr., the Art Major-Precious Beauty filly looked like she was going to breeze in the stretch before Crazy Cute (Jim Morrill Jr.) came flying late but that rival just fell short to finish second. Ladybeluckytonite was third.
Prescient Beauty is now two-for-two in her young career with her NYSS winning time besting her 1:55.2 mark taken in a July 2 career debut at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
St Somewhere ($2.90) charged late to win the fastest division for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke.
Zero Tolerance (David Miller) charged out of the gate and controlled all the early fractions (:27.4, :56.3, 1:25) while St Somewhere followed in the pocket until almost mid-stretch, when she fired like she had a jet pack on and got by just before the wire in 1:52.2. She missed the track record for two-year-old filly pacers by two-fifths of a second. Zero Tolerance settled for second and Money Shot Hanover (Tyler Buter) was third.
St Somewhere is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phillip Collura, Jandt Silva Purnel & Libb, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The American Ideal-Somstreetsomewhere miss earned her second straight career and NYSS win from three lifetime starts.
Longshot Boogie Roll ($27.40) fired late to capture the other division with Tyler Buter in the bike.
Sun Viser (Tim Tetrick) went to the front and led the group to the first quarter in :28 and half in :57.3. Gias Surreal (Doug McNair) flew by on the backstretch and led them to three-quarters in 1:25.3. She look like she was poised to win. Meanwhile, Boogie Roll was fifth after the third quarter mark and she went three-wide in the stretch then on to win for the first time in 1:54. Gias Surreal settled for second and JK American Beauty (Yannick Gingras) finished third.
The Roll With Joe-Boogie Woogie Flu filly, who won her second career start, is owned by Joseph Lee, Diamond Pride LLC, Sholty Racing LLC, and Irwin Goldfarb, and trained by Buzzy Sholty.
Live racing resumes at Tioga Downs on Friday (July 20) when the track hosts NYSS freshman trotting colts. Post time is 6:15 p.m.
(With files from Tioga Downs)