by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway
Monticello, NY — Three of the top New York sired fillies, JK Owhatanite, Some Girls Do and Southwind Jazmin looked extremely impressive in winning their respective divisions of the $180,000 New York Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies at Monticello Raceway on the cool and breezy Monday afternoon of June 13.
When trainer Linda Toscano follows one of her pupils to the Mighty M for a sires stakes event that speaks volumes about the quality of her student. And after Jason Bartlett reined JK Owhatanite, a daughter of Bettor’s Delight, to a 1:56.2 victory Toscano was right there in the winner’s circle to throw the blanket on her star pacing filly and to converse with her driver.
Bartlett put JK Owhatanite on the front-end and raced unchallenged nearly all of the mile. But there was a point on the final turn when George Brennan rushed City Delight up tight on the pacesetter but when Bartlett let out a notch JK Owhatanite sauntered home an easy two length winner over City Delight.
When asked if she was worried when Brennan made that late move Toscano replied, “Of course I was worried. I always worry.” But when Bartlett was asked the same question he said he never gave it the least concern. “We were never in any trouble,” he replied. “This is a top notch filly.”
The winner is owned by the 3 Brothers Stable of New York City.
In their NYSS split Matt Kakaley bided his time with Some Girls Do and raced along in third position before he moved out up the backside and even then slowly pursued the pacesetter Lady Star, driven by George Brennan. And it wasn’t until the top of the stretch that Kakaley asked his filly for a little more and she responded and drew off to a two length triumph in a 1:56.2 clocking.
“She’s so nice,” a smiling Kakaley said about Some Girls Do in the winner’s circle and then added, “she’ll do whatever you ask of her.”
It was already the 10th seasonal victory for the American Ideal filly who’s owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino and Earl Smith.
The Art Major filly Southwind Jazmin, who last year equaled the Monticello Raceway freshman record of 1:56.4, made a laugher out of her split when Jason Bartlett let her ramble on the front end to a six length triumph in an oh-so-easy 1:57 mile.
Owner Rick Phillips was proud as a peacock in the winner’s circle when he joined Bartlett for the blanket presentation.
“She’s a good one and she proved it last year when she tied the track record. I’m sure she’ll get even better this year,” he said.
Although the aforementioned fillies seemed to stick out there were others that looked good in victory, also. All About Kisses, in rein to Stephane Bouchard, was never in any trouble when she wired her field in a 1:57.1 clocking to notch her third victory in five seasonal starts.
Although co-owner Janice Connor wasn’t in the presentation photo the filly’s other proud co-owners Albert and Michelle Crawford were, and they were grinning from ear to ear.
But the sub-plot of the afternoon was not so much the two NYSS fillies that Brandon Simpson reined to victory but the pari-mutuel prices they paid in doing so.
In the second race on the card Simpson drove 41-1 longshot Block Party to a scant 1:57.4 victory which sparked an $84.00 win payoff and because of a failed bridge jumper, a $108.00 place payoff. The daughter of Western Terror is owned by All Star Racing.
But “Longshot Simpson” wasn’t done yet. In a later race he guided Tenah Merah Farms’ White Jade to a 1:56.2 triumph which produced another big mutuel payoff when the American Ideal filly returned $64.50 for win.
Other NYSS winners included Winbak Corazon in 1:57.2 for Phil Fluet and Busybeingfabulous in 1:58.1 with George Brennan at the controls. The former, a daughter of American Ideal, is owned by Tom Vassilou, and James and Lori Fluet while Ronald Michelon and the Riverview Farms claim ownership in the latter, another American Ideal filly.