Batavia, NY – Hall of Fame trainer Ron Burke, who last week scored his 16,000th career victory, will be racing a pair of 2-year-old Chapter Seven colts – AI and Who’s Eyes Blues – in the $108,300 New York Sire Stakes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Aug. 20) that will be contested as one seven-horse field.
AI (Chapter Seven-Image Of Bee) quickly established himself as a prominent and talented 2-year-old trotter as he was undefeated in his first four starts in the NYSS. During that time, he set a track record for 2-year-old trotting colts at Buffalo (1:58.1) and tied the track record for a 2-year-old trotting colt at Yonkers (1:56.3).
AI’s unbeaten streak was finally broken in August at The Meadowlands when he finished fourth in the Kindergarten Series. He then followed that up with a third, back in the NYSS, at Tioga Downs.
Currently, AI is the points (212) and earnings ($161,420) leader in this division of the state series, but he is also the highest earning ($163,420) 2-year-old male trotter and third highest 2-year-old trotter overall in North America.
AI is looking to get back to his winning ways at Batavia and will do so with Tyler Buter at the lines from post five.
Who’s Eyes Blues (Chapter Seven-Behindblueyes) is not only AI’s stablemate, he’s also a formidable competitor. After winning a leg of the Kindergarten Series at the Meadowlands in a career-best 1:56.1 clocking, Who’s Eyes Blues captured his first and only NYSS win at Yonkers as the heavy favorite. Last week in NYSS action at Tioga, he finished second to Titans Mischief in 1:55.3 and he looks to improve off that start this week.
Jim Morrill Jr. will be in the bike for this race and has drawn post two behind the gate.
The horse that’s looking to spoil Burke’s trip the Batavia altogether is Titans Mischief (E L Titan-Morosita Bi), who comes into this tilt off a lifetime mark of 1:55.2 at Tioga, which is the fastest win time of any horse in this race. Plus, he has never been worse than second in his five career outings. He currently sits second in the NYSS behind AI for points (175) and earnings ($116,625) and has drawn the advantageous pole position for this race.
Titans Mischief has beaten Who’s Eyes Blues but has never beaten AI.
Matt Kakaley will steer for Bruce Clarke.
This NYSS event has been programmed as race six. There are also two $20,000 Excelsior Series races on the card slotted as races seven and eight. Post time for the first race is 6 p.m. (EDT).
Some of the horses racing in this leg of the NYSS will return to Genesee County next month when Batavia Downs hosts the $2.4 million New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions finals on Saturday, Sept. 6.