Monticello, NY – On Monday (Aug. 24), the curtain falls on the 2026 New York Sire Stakes season at Monticello Raceway when 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings close out the season. There will be two dashes of sires stakes and one division of the $20,000 Excelsior Series.
The first NYSS contest, race 6 with a purse of $56,900, is a four-horse field that features divisional leader Read The Room, who will score from post position 5 for driver-trainer Åke Svanstedt. The son of Chapter Seven-Debra Hall is a three-time sire stakes winner, with scores at Saratoga, Buffalo and Tioga Downs, and has seasonal earnings of $141,601. Sevenato (PP3) won the first sires stakes of the year at Vernon Downs in 1:54, setting his lifetime mark. Purple Haze owns the son of Chapter Seven-Tamgo Donato who is trained by Trond Smedshammer.
The second heat is a five-horse affair going for $58,000. The consistent Highway Six will start from post 4 for trainer-driver Jeff Gregory. The son of Met’s Hall has one win, two seconds and a third-place finish in sire stakes competition and has banked $85,955. Seven Grand will start from the rail; he took his lifetime record of 1:55.3 in his last outing for his lone win of the year. Svanstedt trains and drives the offspring of Chapter Seven-My Abigail. Titans Mischief is seeking his first win of the year; last season he was a three-time winner and earned $317,212. This season, he has three second-place finishes for trainer Bruce Clarke. Matt Kakaley will handle the driving assignment.
In Excelsior action, divisional leader Flex Up will start from the rail. The son of Chapter Seven-Fade Into You has five wins in his last six starts for Team Miller. Tyler Miller will drive Flex Up for trainer Julie Miller.
Post time for the nine-race card is 12:10 p.m. (EDT).