Freshman pacing fillies Odds On Enigma and Liberty Style were victorious in a pair of $72,917 divisions of the New York Sire Stakes held on Monday, Aug. 25 at Monticello Raceway.
After taking the lead past the opening panel in the first division, favourite Odds On Enigma and driver Matt Kakaley were never headed and went on to score by a neck over Ideal Beauty Queen (Jordan Stratton) in 1:56.1, with early leader Party Pumps (Braxten Boyd) third. Trained by Scott DiDomenico, the Huntsville-Yellow Diamond filly earned her second Sire Stakes victory of the year for owner Odds On Racing of Boca Raton, Florida.
In the second split, Liberty Style and driver Jason Bartlett made the lead handily going into the first turn and it was clearing sailing when division co-leader Odds On Monetary (Matt Kakaley) made a break for the first time in her career from the pocket taking herself out of contention. Slight favourite Liberty Style went on to score an easy 3-1/2-length win in 1:56.3, securing the top spot in the point standings as she picked up her fourth Sire Stakes victory. The American Ideal-Fly In Style filly is owned by trainer Andrew Stafford and Bonnie Benson of Lewes, Delaware. Existential (Mark MacDonald) and Brooklyn Bombshell (Tyler Buter) rounded out the top three.
Kakaley and Bartlett also had success in the Excelsior Series with the former reinsman guiding Long Shore to her fifth series win in 1:56.3 for the Joe Pavia stable and the latter driver taking the other $27,778 division with the Deborah Daquet-trained Two Twenty Swift also winning in 1:56.3 to double up in the state-bred program.
(With files from Monticello Raceway; photo of Liberty Style from a previous win at Buffalo Raceway)