Gift Card’s 1:59:3 clocking was the fastest of the four divisional winners in the New York Sires Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies at Monticello Raceway
on Tuesday afternoon.
Other winners included She’s so Savvy, Beachcomber and Pembroke Firestorm.
In their division Tim Tetrick fired Gift Card to the lead from post seven though she didn’t take command until she neared the quarter pole. From there Tetrick kept the pedal to the metal as the daughter of Credit Winner-Mary Lou Hall trotted by the half in :59:4. At that point Brent Holland moved Michelles Way from sixth position out to challenge and when the field moved up the backstretch the second time around Michelles Way zoomed by most of the traffic before stalling when she got alongside Gift Card.
The two fillies raced side by side around the final turn and through the lane before Michelles Way, who was riding a five-race win streak, faded in the deep stretch. She had to settle for second money as Gift Card trotted a :29:2 final stanza en route to a one length victory. Up In Class rallied to be third.
The winner is trained by Frank Antonacci for KR Breeding, Robert Rudolph and Gary Hoffman.
Jan Johnson hit pay dirt when he rallied Beachcomber to victory over Snowblind Lindy and Tim Tetrick in a 2:01:4 clocking in the second betting division.
In that contest Johnson took Beachcomber to the back of the pack from the eight-hole and they trailed the field until he moved her with cover after the half. From there the daughter of Conway Hall-Enjoy The Sun followed the leaders and when then field straightened away for home Johnson had Beachcomber in high gear on the far outside and the filly went from fourth to a one-length triumph. Doin The City took home the show dough.
Beachcomber, trained by Johnson, is owned by Arden Homestead and Adelaide Skoglund.
Another filly, Pembroke Firestorm, who stated from post position eight with Stephane Bouchard at the controls, was also victorious in her division.
As the gate sprung Bouchard hustled Pembroke Firestone toward the front-end but the filly didn’t make the top until just past the quarter pole . From the half on she was challenged by the race favourite, Porque, but surprisingly the daughter of Malabar Man-Spring Laughter rebuffed the confrontation and went on to a one-length victory in a time of 2:02:1.
Porque faded in the stretch and lost second money to Contag Way. Porque had to settle for the show dough.
Eddie Hart trains Pembroke Firestorm for businessman and amateur driver, Bill Varney .
Howie Okusko, Jr. tuned-up Shes So Savvy for the $175,000 NYSS Final on September 26 with an easy 1:59:4 triumph over Allie Jay in the non-betting division. The Ice Queen finished third, albeit 15-lengths behind the winner.
Jessica Okusko trains the Malabar Man-Twitty filly for the Purple Haze Stable.
(Monticello Raceway)