Linda Toscano, who is on the ballot for enshrinement in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame this year, will be bringing three of her best Empire State-bred diagonal distaffers to compete in two divisions of the $119,300 New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) for three-year-old trotting fillies at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Aug. 22).
The NYSS events have been carded as Race 3 and 5. There are also three $15,000 Excelsior ‘A’ races on the program that have been carded as Race 1, 7 and 8. Post time for the first race is 5 p.m.
The first NYSS division will offer a purse of $59,100 and Toscano will be starting Repentance (Chapter Seven-Swan Hot Mama), who will be getting a lot of attention for several of her performances this year.
Repentance will come in off of a big mile at the Meadowlands Racetrack on Hambletonian Day where she cut the first three quarters of the mile in 1:23.4 before finishing a respectable fourth to Basquiat, who went on to win in 1:51.2. Earlier this year she finished third in an elimination of the Empire Breeders Classic (EBC) at Tioga Downs, and then fourth in the final behind eventual Hambletonian winner Atlanta, in an all-time track record time of 1:50.3.
Scott Zeron, who drove Atlanta to those EBC and Hambletonian victories, will be picking up the lines behind Repentance on Wednesday from Post 3. The duo is 5-2 on the morning line.
Her main competition appears to be Fury Road (Muscle Mass-Bar Ballad), who has earned just under $60,000 this year on the strength of two NYSS wins, and Golden Muscle (Muscle Mass-Golden Goose), who also competed well in the EBC but has yet to win a NYSS event this year.
Toscano also has two fillies in the second NYSS division, which will offer a purse of $60,200.
Lima Novelty (Chapter Seven-No Pictures Please) won four out of five stakes events in June and July and they account for her lofty seasonal earnings of $104,093. She also recorded a lifetime mark of 1:52.1 in one of those wins at the Meadowlands (on July 7) from Post 12.
Two weeks later, Lima Novelty was in an elimination of the Hambletonian Oaks, where she acquitted herself well. Unfortunately, she was forced to chase a :54.4 back half from mid-pack and didn’t make the final.
Lima Novelty's last start was on an off track at Yonkers Raceway, after which she took a two-week sabbatical. She will head into her Batavia assignment well rested, well spotted, and looking for her fifth win of the season.
Zeron has received the call to drive Lima Novelty and the pair is 9-5 on the morning line.
Stablemate Tribute To Seven (Chapter Seven-Southwind Confetti) has only missed the board one time all year. She is the second leading money winner in her Wednesday race with $73,359 earned for the year. She is currently third in points in the series, just ahead of Lima Novelty. Drew Monti drew Post 2 with Tribute To Seven and is listed at 5-2 by the track handicapper.
The main competition for Toscano's pair appears to be Natalie Hanover (Chapter Seven-Nanticoke Hanover), who will come into her Wednesday test sharp off of a NYSS win at Yonkers in 1:56.3.
(With files from Batavia Downs)