Coming off its most successful season to date, Massachusetts Standardbred breeding and the accompanying Massachusetts Sire Stakes have become very desirable to many breeders across North America. With a resident mare program that provides for yearlings to be eligible to more than one state sire stake program in the same year, and the supporting Massachusetts stakes being driven by three state casinos through the provisions of the Race Horse Development Fund, Massachusetts has become a fast growing breeding jurisdiction in North America.
Registered mares in Massachusetts have increased by almost 50 percent from 2017 to 2019 and that roster has grown by 25 percent this past year alone with 145 having foaled in the state this past breeding season.
The Massachusetts Sire Stakes begin in September, but many of the eligible horses have been competing successfully since racing resumed earlier this summer. And some of them have been turning heads with their performances as the season progresses.
Three-year-old trotting colt Ready For Moni (Ready Cash-Nothing But Moni) started out strong last year at two, winning the final of the $250,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes and finishing second in the $505,050 Valley Victory in his last start of the year.
This year Ready For Moni came out with guns blazing, taking a lifetime mark of 1:51.4 in the $142,250 Stanley Dancer and winning an elimination of the $1 million Hambletonian, where he lowered his mark once again to 1:51.3. In the final, Ready For Moni tracked the favoured Ramona Hill from the quarter all the way to the wire and came up just a length short in a stake record-tying time of 1:50.1. The race time was also the fastest trotting mile by any three-year-old trotter this year.
To date Ready For Moni has six wins in 11 lifetime starts and $599,020 in earnings.
(Breeder: Moni Maker Stable, foaled in East Longmeadow, MA)
Without A Warning (RC Royalty-Concentration) was the MASS two-year-old filly trotting champion, going a perfect four-for-four in the series including winning the $100,000 final. This year (as she did last) Without A Warning has competed successfully in the New York Sire Stakes. This includes a win in 1:55.1 at Yonkers and a third at Batavia Downs behind Love A Good Story, who set a new track record of 1:55.1 that day. She also competed in the $207,250 Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon Downs, finishing fifth behind Hypnotic Am who won in 1:53.4.
In two years of racing, Without A Warning has six wins and $258,762 in the bank.
(Breeder: Ray Campbell Jr., foaled in Belchertown, MA)
Other state-bred three-year-olds to watch include pacing colt Wyatt J (American Ideal-Think Pink) who finished fourth behind Major Betts at Tioga in 1:49.4 after interference and then chased a 1:49 mile won by Splash Brother at Vernon, pacing his own mile in 1:50.4. He has since won two overnights at Yonkers, one in a lifetime best 1:53.3.
(Breeder: Lindy Farms of Connecticut, foaled in East Longmeadow, MA)
Double Dealing (RC Royalty-Heather Spur) is building on his second-place finish in the MASS trotting final last year. After winning his first 2020 start at Vernon Downs, he has won two NYSS Excelsior A divisions by a combined 7-3/4 lengths with a second and third in the series as well. His best outing was a 1:54.2 romp at Tioga Downs in July. Double Dealing is a brother to Bag O Chips, who was a two-year-old MASS champion in 2017.
(Breeder: Ray Campbell Jr., foaled in Belchertown, MA)
Life Is A Feast (Royalty For Life-Luau Hanover) was the two-year-old MASS male trotting champion in 2019 and won five out of his last six starts of the year. This year he has been competing in the Ontario Sires Stakes with his best finish a fourth at Mohawk in a 1:52.2 mile. He came back the following week in an overnight event to take a new lifetime mark of 1:54.3.
(Breeder: Karen Carroll, foaled in Westport, MA)
There is a solid list of freshman starters doing well as they make their initial outings this year.
Two-year-old pacing filly Rightfully Mine (American Ideal-Leah) has been red hot on the NYSS circuit, having not missed the board in four starts. After two seconds and a third in her first three races, Rightfully Mine scored her first win at Saratoga Raceway in a 1:55.3 mile where she easily went gate to wire.
(Breeder: Monique Cohen, foaled in East Longmeadow, MA)
After making her first career start in a leg of the NYSS at Vernon Downs, So Amazing (So Surreal-Teddy Ballgirl) has since become a force in the NYSS Excelsior A series where she has won two consecutive starts in August. So Amazing won at Yonkers and Saratoga in identical times of 1:56.4 and did both on the front-end. So Amazing is a sister to So Awesome, who was a NYSS star as a two- and three-year-old and has lifetime earnings of $453,556.
(Breeder: Nancy Longobardi and Domenic Longobardi, foaled in Norfolk, MA)
Mullinax (American Ideal-Up Front Kellie Jo) just scored his first NYSS Excelsior A win at Batavia Downs in a 5-1/2 length romp in 1:56.2. The week prior, he made a break after being interfered with at Tioga and still managed to finish third in a 1:54.4 mile. This is a fast-improving pacing colt that looks to be a factor this fall.
(Breeder: Ed Mullinax and Mark Ford, foaled in Norfolk, MA)
Lindys Booze Cruz (Bar Hopping-Universal Success) has been competing in the Pennsylvania Stallion Series and in his second lifetime start, won going away by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:58.2 at the Meadows. He has shown quick development since his qualifier and this trotter seems to have more to offer moving forward.
(Breeder: Lindy Farms of Connecticut, foaled in Hampden, MA)
In The Cards (RC Royalty-Super Starlet) made his first lifetime start a winning one as he took a leg of the NYSS trot at Yonkers in July. He has also finished third in that series at Saratoga and will build on his success moving forward. In The Cards is a brother to 2015 three-year-old MASS champion Concentration (1:54.1, $253,603) and a full brother to 2018 MASS three-year-old champion Ithinkthatsmine (1:56, $215,135).
(Breeder: Ray Campbell Jr., foaled in Belchertown, MA)
Many more MASS eligibles are currently racing in the NYSS Excelsior B series and the Maine Sire Stakes now as well as in overnights at Plainridge Park in preparation for the start of the 2020 Massachusetts stakes.
Here is the complete Massachusetts Sire Stake schedule:
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Three-year-old first leg
Monday, September 28, 2020
Two-year-old first leg
Sunday, October 4, 2020
Three-year-old second leg
Monday, October 5, 2020
Two-year-old second leg
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Two-year-old third leg
Monday, October 19, 2020
Three-year-old third leg
Monday, October 26, 2020
Two- and three-year-old finals
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)