The last New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) stop of 2024 at Batavia Downs will be on Wednesday evening, Aug. 28 when five two-year-old trotting fillies will compete for $102,500 USD in purse money.
The division’s points (137) and earnings ($179,486) leader is My Debt Collecter (Chapter Seven-Magic Presto) and she will be the one to beat when they line up on Wednesday.
My Debt Collecter has four starts in the NYSS with two wins, one second and a third, with her lifetime mark of 1:57.4 taken in her very first stakes start at Tioga Downs in July. She has won from off the pace and also on the point, so her versatility in this short field will make her hard to beat. Leaving from post four, Jim Morrill Jr. will be in the bike behind her for trainer Nifty Norman.
The biggest threat to her looks to be Calculus Risk (Devious Man-K Squared Hanover), who also won her first NYSS event this year in a lifetime mark (2:00.1); however, it was also her only win this year and she has been beaten by My Debt Collecter twice. That said, she has not missed a single cheque in her five NYSS outings to date. Trainer Perry Simser has Jordan Stratton back in the bike and they will depart from post six.
Inn Of The Stars (Chapter Seven-Mels Inn) has the fastest win time in this field when she trotted to victory in 1:57 at Tioga in July. But it came in an Excelsior race. She made her first foray into NYSS action last week at Monticello Raceway, but came up short behind both My Debt Collecter and Calculus Risk. On Wednesday, she will start inside both fillies from post two and has a very good shot to improve her standing. Tyler Buter drove her for both Excelsior wins and will be back aboard for trainer John Butenschoen.
Rounding out the field are Always A Story, who will start from post one for trainer/driver Gates Brunet, and the Ed Hart-trained DWs Lady Diva, who will have Kevin Cummings aboard when they leave the gate from post three.
The New York Sire Stakes will go as race six. There are also two $20,000 USD Excelsior events on Wednesday, carded as race seven and eight. Post time for the first race on Wednesday is 6 p.m.
(With files from Batavia Downs)