Two-year-old New York bred filly trotters had their turn in the Sires Stakes spotlight at Buffalo Raceway Sunday afternoon with four races worth over $30,000 each.
The fastest mile of the day was turned in by Daytona Blue Chip (Credit Winner-Down Goes Debbie), who went wire-to-wire in a lifetime best 2:01.1 with trainer-driver Ray Schnittker in the sulky. The $80,000 Lexington yearling purchase cut fractions of :29.2, 1:00.3 and 1:31.1 en route to a four and a quarter length victory over second place finisher Single Sock (Dan Daley).
“She’s great gaited,” said Schnittker. “The plan was to put her on the lead, and go from there.”
Daytona Blue Chip ($5.90) is now two-for-two this year, and her winning time was just four ticks off the track record of 2:00.1, held by Schnittker’s 2009 filly Munis Blue Chip.
Another filly getting her picture taken was Royal Malinda ($14.00), trained and driven by Dan Daley. The RC Royalty-Linda Mac filly won for the first time this year in 2:03.
“You got to hang on a little with these two-year-old trotters,” said Daley. “But she got there, and that’s all that counts.”
In the second division, Crazy Grigio (Crazed-Musetta Hanover) made a strong stretch brush to nip the 4-5 favourite Lola De Vie (Jim Morrill Jr.) to register her first lifetime win in 2:03.2 with Stephane Bouchard in the bike.
“She was pretty handy for the first time I drove her,” said Bouchard. “At the top of the stretch, I knew I had Jimmy’s horse measured. She’s a really nice filly.”
The other NYSS winner was Bullville Ata Girl ($8.70), by Malabar Man out of the Conway Hall mare Bullville Forever. She was timed in 2:04.3 with Bouchard at the controls.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)