Yonkers Raceway will host the $173,500 New York Sire Stakes Dick McGuire Trot for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings this Friday night (July 27).
Post time for Yonkers’ dozen-race card will be at 6:50 p.m. The pair of $86,750 sire stakes events — named for the former New York Knicks standout, Hall of Famer and avid horseplayer — has been carded as Race 7 and Race 8.
The opening division includes Helpisontheway (Brian Sears, Post 3), who held sway in last weekend’s $61,900 boys’ division of the Tompkins Memorial at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
The son of Chapter Seven has won three of his seven seasonal starts, including a state-bred win at Tioga in a lifetime-best 1:52.2. Linda Toscano trains for Camelot and Bays Stables & Little E LLC.
Winning Shadows (Mike Simons, Post 2) was a ‘fresh-lasix,’ 12-1 upsetter at Monticello Raceway in his last start. The Credit Winner gelding, trained by Jake Huff for co-owners Our Horse Cents and J&T Silva Stables, has won three of his eight seasonal starts.
Clive Bigsby (Mark MacDonald, Post 7) was runner-up (to Six Pack) in last season’s $225,000 freshman final. Tito (Brent Holland, Post 5), who banked roughly $240,000 last season, is trying to find his winning form.
Purpose Blue Chip (Dan Daley, Post 8) has a resume highlighted by sire stakes wins at Monticello and Buffalo.
Friday night’s second and final division will see The Veteran (Jordan Stratton, Post 2) as arguably the horse to beat. The Muscle Mass colt, co-owned by trainer George Ducharme, Steven Michaels, W J Donovan and Jim Winske, has been the odds-on choice in his last four starts (two NYSS races and two overnights). He settled for second (to Winning Shadows) at Monticello in his latest start. He has won four of his seven seasonal starts.
Perlucky (Trond Smedshammer, Post 5) will head into his Friday assignment off of a 15-1 NYSS win. Smedshammer also trains the son of Lucky Chuck for Purple Haze Stables.
Don (Jason Bartlett, Post 7) has sire stakes wins at Vernon and Buffalo.
New York Sire Stakes will continue at Yonkers this coming Monday evening (July 30) with the $172,000 Bruce Hamilton Pace (three-year-old colts/geldings).
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)