On Tuesday, September 19, Monticello Raceway will host the final leg of New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) for two-year-old pacing fillies. The next stop for the upper echelon fillies will be the NYSS Night of Champions at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday, October 14. As luck would have it, or not, the top four point leaders are competing in the same Sire Stakes division, carded as race 10.
Ubettergo Go is the point leader by with 207 points, followed closely by Hurricane Shorty with 205, Alexis Faith with 200, and Betterthangraduate with 195.
The first heat of Sire Stakes is race eight, with a six-horse field vying for $53,500. Surreal Feeling has reeled off six consecutive wins in the Excelsior B class. The $6,000 Goshen Yearling graduate was impressive last week at Batavia, where she made a break at the start and gathered herself to still win in 1:57.2, taking a new lifetime record in the process. The connections of Surreal Feeling have opted to jump over the Excelsior A division and tackle the elite group. The filly will start from post five for trainer Dale Lawton and will be driven by leading Monticello Raceway dash leader Jim DeVaux. KJs Bekah (post four) has traveled a similar path, already a three-time winner in the Excelsior A class. The $140,000 Lexington Select yearling purchase is owned by Kenneth Jacobs. The daughter of American Ideal – Upfrontandpersonal is trained by Linda Toscano, and will be driven by Jason Bartlett.
The second dash for the cash (race 10, $54,500) has a trio of evenly matched freshman fillies – all with similar paths, as they have each won three Sire Stakes events thus far this season. The top point leader of the category Ubettergo Go drew post position four. The daughter of Art Major Ideal – Ubetterthink Think is trained by Blake Macintosh, and Mark MacDonald will drive. Her credentials are impressive with over $87,000 in earnings, a NYSS win in her last start at Batavia Downs in 1:55.3, and a speed badge of 1:53 taken at Vernon Downs.
Right next to her behind the starting gate is another Goshen Yearling Sale alumni Hurrikane Shorty ($8,000) from post five. Her black type includes two NYSS wins at Yonkers and one at Saratoga. The Art Major – Speed Date offspring is owned by Little E, LLC, Jason Settlemoir, and A. Geiger, and Jason Bartlett will be in the bike for trainer Kevin McDermott. She is the fastest filly of the bunch with a mark of 1:52 taken at the Meadowlands. The morning-line favourite by virtue of drawing the rail is Alexis Faith, who also has three win blankets in her tack trunk this year while third in points in the division with 200. Casie Coleman trains the American Ideal Ideal – Cannae Cammie bay filly for owners West Wins Stable, Jim Fielding, J. Robert Darrow, and Kevin McKinlay. The two-time NYSS winner Betterthangraduate will start from post six and will be driven by Matt Kakaley.
Post time is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.
(Monticello Raceway)