New York State’s three-year-old pacing colts and geldings went at it earlier this week, and now Yonkers Raceway will host the New York Sire Stakes’ Art Watson Pace for the three-year-old pacing fillies on Friday night (July 14).
The lasses dealt themselves ‘blackjack,’ as 21 of them have been neatly organized into a trio of $56,833 divisions. The splits have been carded as Races 5, 6 and 7 on Yonkers’ 12-dash card, which will get underway with the usual first post of 7:10 p.m.
Friday night’s opening NYSS event will be highlighted by the return of Lismore champ Tequila Monday (Brian Sears, PP6). Last season’s ‘put up’ (after a disqualification) NYSS frosh filly champ is 4-for-8 thus far this season ($159,337), including wins in elims for both the Fan Hanover (Mohawk Racetrack) and James Lynch Memorial (Pocono Downs).
She does enter here off a rare poor effort, as she backpedalled to eighth (as the 6-5 choice) in the $300,000 final of the Lynch. The daughter of American Ideal is trained by Chris Oakes for co-owners Susan Oakes and Chuck Pompey.
World Apart (Jason Bartlett, PP4) is back with statebreds after winning her division of the Geers at Tioga, while Artrageous (Brett Miller, PP7) owns a NYSS win at Saratoga.
The second Watson event obviously goes through pole-sitting Obvious Blue Chip (Bartlett) as she goes for a third consecutive NYSS victory. The Roll With Joe lass, co-owned by NLG Racing & Stephen Klunowski and trained by Mark Steacy, has won three of her four ’17 tries.
Playing Favorites (Brett Miller, PP6) can’t be glossed over since she, too, has a pair of NYSS wins. Meanwhile, Planet Rock (Dan Dube, PP7), twice second in MYSS competition this season, will be looking to regain some of her $200,000 frosh form.
Friday night’s statebred finale finds Roaring To Go (Miller, PP3) in essentially the same boat as Planet Rock, as in trying to recapture her youth. The Art Major ma’am, who crossed the line first in last season’s divisional title but was set down (to second) for a pylon violation, is winless in seven starts this season. She chased home Tequila Monday in her lone 2017 NYSS appearance to date.
New York Sire Stakes will continue at Yonkers on Tuesday night (July 18) with the Bruce Hamilton Trot for two-year-old fillies.
(Yonkers Raceway)