by M. Kelly Young, executive director, Harness Horse Breeders of New York

Hamburg, NY — The 2-year-old pacing colts make their first New York Sires Stake appearance this year at Buffalo Raceway on Friday, July 13, and one of the seven divisions will offer a rematch between two locally trained colts who could not be separated at the wire in their last outing. In all, 50 New York-breds will be vying for total purses of $119,965 on Friday.

The Pro Bono Best gelding X El and the Ameripan Gigolo colt One Quick One drew into the same fourth race division of the New York Sires Stakes. The two have become intimately acquainted in the past month while starting their careers at Buffalo.

In their first two head-to-head match-ups, One Quick One scored in a qualifier and X El prevailed in a leg of the Red Jacket Series. In the $10,500 Red Jacket final at Buffalo last Friday (July 6), both X El and One Quick One maneuvered through a bulky field of 10 horses to finish in 2:00.2. The photo finish camera was not able to separate the pair and the judges declared a dead heat.

X El, a winner of two of his three career starts, is owned by Ron Viola and trainer James Graham. One Quick One has won one of his three outings this year for co-owners Edward Denneny and trainer Dennis Cummings.

This New York Sires Stake leg also provides the first look at foals by Art Major in state-bred competition. Ten offspring from his first crop will race on Friday, headed by Major Louie. This colt scored in his first career appearance, a Landmark Stake at Goshen, in 1:58.4. Western New York native Ray Schnittker trains, drives and co-owns the freshman with Steve Arnold, Highland Green Farm and Ed Pachuta.

Stallions Dream Away and Pacific Fella will also be showing off their first crop of New York-eligible horses. L Dees Dr Norman, a gelding by Dream Away, is out of the $900,000 winning dam L Dees Trish, who has already produced a winner of $283,000. L Dees Dr Norman starts in the sixth race for Sylvia Burke, Larry Dumain and Carlo Lattinelli, after finishing second by a nose in her last outing, a maiden at The Meadows.

New York Sires Stakes are featured as races two, four, six, seven, eight, ten and 12 on the 13-race card. Post time is 6:30 p.m.