Three-year-old trotting filly Sharp Seven and driver Matt Kakaley won the $159,722 New York Sire Stakes at Monticello Raceway in an eight-length romp on Monday, Aug. 17.
Sharp Seven was a wire-to-wire winner in 1:56.3 as the 3-5 favourite in the compact field of five. She used her inside post advantage to secure the lead and faced no serious threats thereafter with three of her foes making breaks. Flyin Copper (Jim Taggart Jr.) stayed flat to finish second and was followed by late breaker Jula Hot To Chill (Greg Merton) back in third.
Sharp Seven, a daughter of Chapter Seven out of Lookin Sharp, is trained by George Ducharme and owned by Purple Haze Stable of Fairport New York. The NYSS divisional champion as a two-year-old, she earned her second Sire Stakes win as a sophomore. The victory lifted her career earnings to $773,294.
Kakaley also guided Myths And Legends to her fourth Excelsior Series victory this season in 1:58.1 for trainer Marcus Melander. Trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer won the other $27,778 Excelsior division with My Philomene in 1:57.2.
(With files from Monticello Raceway; photo of Sharp Seven from a previous win at Saratoga Raceway)