by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — When Forty Three won her division of the New York Sire Stakes Late Closers in a time of 1:57.1 on Tuesday (August 17) at Monticello Raceway, it was the fastest clocking of the eight $13,200 splits for freshman pacing fillies.

Geri Schwarz photo

Forty Three’s time of 1:57.1 was the fastest of the eight NYSS Late Closers.

Jimmy Whittemore drove the daughter of American Ideal-Lake Hills Susie to her first pari-mutuel win and fifth victory in six lifetime starts for Ted Bookstaver’s Indigo Racing LLC.

“We’ve been educating her around the (New York) county fairs and she’s getting better with each start,” said Bookstaver who flew in from California just to watch his filly compete. “I am really thrilled with her performance today. She looks like the real deal.”

Whittemore also won the first division with Scott Hay and William Seinkiewicz’s Diana Blue Chip, also an American Ideal filly, in 1:59.1 and then went on later in the card to rein Chanaglia to a 1:56.2 victory in an overnight pace, giving the youngster a hat trick on the afternoon’s program.

Two local teamsters, Greg Merton and Bruce Aldrich, Jr., also reined winners in the NYSS Late Closers. Merton won with Jodi Schillaci, Sam Bova and Howard Berke’s Winspirational when the Art Major filly tripped the timer in 1:59. Aldrich scored with Michael Funke’s daughter of Bettor’s Delight, The Filly Princess, in a time of 1:58.4.

Another Bettor’s Delight filly, Ride A Cowboy, scored a 2:00.2 triumph for driver Brian Mattison. She’s owned by the Kelley Racing Stable.

Like Whittemore, Jason Bartlett also had a pair of winners in the NYSS Late Closers. He scored with 3 Brothers Stables’ JK Geronimo in 1:59.1 and then won with Bulletproof Enterprises’ Beforethedaystarts in 2:01.3. The former is a daughter of Bettor’s Delight while the latter is a Western Terror filly.

A final division saw OK Dynasty, another daughter of Art Major, lead the pack to the finish line in a time of 1:59. But she was disqualified and placed second for running out wide on the final turn — perhaps trying to escape the shadow cast by a light pole — and in the process the judges determined that she impeded the progress of Keystone Iris who finished second. So the order of finish was reversed and William and Jack Heinz’s daughter of Bettor’s Delight took home first money.