Batavia, NY — Batavia Downs hosted the $2.4 million New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions on Saturday (Sept. 6) with eight divisions vying for $300,000 each. The competition was solid across the board, but two stars rose above the rest when the dust settled.
Per Engblom’s Fragment turned a lot of heads when he scorched the Batavia oval in 1:52.1 for driver Jason Bartlett and shattered the track record for 2-year-old pacing colts by 1-2/5 seconds. And it was only one of four wins for Bartlett, who also had one second and one third in his seven NYSS drives.
Here is a recap of all the night’s action.
2-year-old Colt and Gelding Pace sponsored by the Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund
Champion – Fragment (Hunstville-The Show Returns) 1:52.1 (Track Record) – $2.42
Driver – Jason Bartlett
Trainer – Per Engblom
Owner – Engblom Stable and Douglas Sipple
Breeders – Steve Stewart, Black Creek Farm, Michael Robinson and South Mountain Stables
Knoxville (Mark MacDonald) was first to the front as the heavily favored Fragment was content to take the trip. The pace was good with quarters of :27.1 and :56, and the top two horses began to separate heading to three-quarters. Knoxville still had the lead, but Fragment pulled and just blew right by, opening up a three-length advantage entering the stretch. From there, Bartlett sat chilly as Fragment tugged him to the line on top by 6-3/4 lengths in 1:52.1, which was also just one-fifth of a second off his lifetime mark.
“He’s so quick when he gets a trip like that. He’s a real professional off a half like that. I was feeling pretty confident when I saw the half time come up and the other ones were kind of struggling to keep up, it was our race to win. I knew he was fast enough and he did it with plugs in, so we had a little bit left,” said trainer Per Engblom.
It was the sixth win in eight starts this year for Fragment, who has now earned $336,475 this year.
2-year-old Filly Trot sponsored by Mill Creek Farm
Champion – Sharp Seven (Chapter Seven-Lookin Sharp) 1:58.3 – $3.34
Driver – Jeff Gregory
Trainer – George Ducharme
Owner – Purple Haze Stables
Breeder – Frederick W. Hertrich III
Overalls (Jordan Stratton) took a quick and commanding lead and motored to the half in front by six lengths in :57.4 as Sharp Seven bided his time in second. As the trotters made their way onto the second circuit, Overalls’ lead began to diminish as Sharp Seven got into gear on the outside and was gaining with every stride. As they passed three-quarters, Sharp Seven took the lead on the outside, cleared in the turn, and then held off a fast-closing Jula Hot To Chill (Braxten Boyd) to win by a length in 1:58.3.
It was the fourth NYSS win of the year for Sharp Seven, who has now earned $355,250 in 2025.
2-year-old Filly Pace sponsored by Purple Haze Stable
Champion – Liberty Style (American Ideal-Fly In Style) 1:55 – $13.16
Driver – Jason Bartlett
Trainer – Andrew Stafford
Owners – Bonnie Benson and Andrew Stafford
Breeder – Stephen P. Dey III
Liberty Style left from post seven and settled in third while the front-runner, Odds On Enigma (Tim Tetrick), battled the parked-out Odds On Monetary (Matt Kakaley) hard to the half in :57 and three-quarters in 1:26 while Liberty Style was fourth and completely locked in on the pegs. As they raced through turn four, Odds On Monetary tired, and as they entered the stretch, Savage Cindy (Tyler Buter) left the pocket for the stretch drive. That left the passing lane wide open for Liberty Style, who shot right through and pulled ahead by 1-3/4 lengths at the light in 1:55.
It was the third win in a row for Liberty Style, who more than doubled her lifetime earnings with the win, now showing $296,309 on her card.
2-year-old Colt and Gelding Trot sponsored by Genesee Valley Farm
Champion – AI (Chapter Seven-Image Of Bee) 1:57.2 – $5.98
Driver – Yannick Gingras
Trainer – Ron Burke
Owners – Burke Racing, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services and Weaver Bruscemi
Breeder – Steve Jones
Titans Mischief (Matt Kakaley) quickly took the lead while AI dropped into the garden spot for the journey. With the field in single-file fashion, Kakaley grabbed leather on Titans Mischief through quarters of :29.4 and 1:00 to the half but then stepped on the gas with a :28.3 third panel with AI glued to his helmet. They trotted around the final turn and when they entered the stretch, Gingras tipped AI and powered his way past Titans Mischief while holding off the fast-closing Chapter Geo J (Jason Bartlett) to win by one-half length in 1:57.2.
“I would have liked to cut it, but we were trotting pretty fast going into the turn and Matty had the horse to beat, so I had to respect him. I figured if my horse was good, I’d have a shot to beat him out of the two-hole. Once he was moving, there wasn’t really an anxious moment. He felt really good in the post parade today, and he gave a great effort,” said his driver, Yannick Gingras.
AI won his fifth race from only eight starts and pushed his bankroll to $326,416 lifetime.
3-year-old Filly Trot sponsored by Allerage Farm
Champion – My Debt Collecter (Chapter Seven-Magic Presto) 1:57 – $2.90
Driver – Tyler Buter
Trainer – Nifty Norman
Owners – David McDuffee, Melvin Hartman and Little E
Breeders – David McDuffee, Melvin Hartman, Little E and Herb Liverman
My Debt Collecter settled in third as Pink Bomb (Scott Zeron) set fast fractions of :28 and :57.2 to the half. Buter tipped My Debt Collecter as the race moved towards three-quarters and took the lead on the outside passing that station in 1:27.1. My Debt Collecter took the lead into the stretch and trotted home to win by one-half length in 1:57.
“I was happy to take the trip when Zeron’s horse left, although she’s good on the front, too. She’s super to drive and Nifty has done a great job with her, and she’s raced well all year,” said driver Tyler Buter.
It was the third win in a row and eighth of the year for My Debt Collecter, who raised her earnings to $494,772 this year.
3-year-old Filly Pace sponsored by Cameo Hills Farm
Champion – The Last Martini (Huntsville-Martinique) 1:55 – $2.62
Driver – Jason Bartlett
Trainer – Jared Bako
Owner – Glenview Livestock Ltd.
Breeder – Crawford Farm
The Last Martini strolled to the front before the quarter and then backed the half down to a pedestrian :58.1 as Fansville (Jordan Stratton) sat in the pocket, just drafting along. As they made their way up the backstretch, Strutsville (Ridge Warren) made a first-over move and got next to Fansville but not the leader. That was The Last Martini, who shook off that challenge in the turn and entered the stretch looking strong. But Stratton tipped Fansville and came like a freight train, drawing alongside The Last Martini in deep stretch. The two fillies hit the wire together, and the photo revealed The Last Martini hung on by a head in 1:55.
“It was tight; I was nervous. She’s not the best on the front; she’s more of a stalker and she loves to chase horses down. So when she hit the lead, I was a little nervous. She’s been battling some issues all year, but she’s a great horse,” said trainer Jared Bako.
The Last Martini pushed her seasonal earnings to $436,037 on the strength of her fifth win of the year.
3-year-old Colt and Gelding Trot sponsored by the Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund
Champion – Happy Jack B (Chapter Seven-Exotic Form) 1:55.3 – $4.72
Driver – Åke Svanstedt
Trainer – Åke Svanstedt
Owners – B Nasstrom Holding, Wolfgang A Stable and Joe Sbrocco
Breeder – Winbak Farm
Happy Jack B got away third behind Variegated (Jason Bartlett), who methodically made his way to the front passing the :27.1 quarter. While Global Twist (Tim Tetrick) sat between them in the lineup, Variegated slowed the half to :57.4 before heading onto the backstretch. That’s where Svanstedt put Happy Jack B into play, tipping from third and making his way alongside the leader as they went through the final turn. When they turned for home, Happy Jack B continued to gain ground and passed Variegated in deep stretch to win by a length in 1:55.3.
With only his second win of the year, Happy Jack B pushed his bank to $294,418 lifetime.
3-year-old Colt and Gelding Pace sponsored by Blue Chip Farm
Champion – Dandy Ideal (American Ideal-OK Heavenly) 1:52.4 – $2.10
Driver – Jason Bartlett
Trainer – Hunter Oakes
Owners – Susan Oakes, Thaddeus Wier and Alan Johnston
Breeders – Stephen P. Dey III and Dandy Farms
The heavily favored Dandy Ideal took his time getting to the front and settled there passing the :27.3 quarter. From there, he was in full command and walked to the half in :57.3. Things started to heat up when Courts On Fire (Yannick Gingras) moved first-over and moved into second before the last bend. Dandy Ideal felt the heat and stepped it up as he turned for home and torched a :27 final panel to win by two lengths in 1:52.4, which was only two-fifths of a second off the track record.
“He makes my job easy. He has a lot of class and has been a lot of fun to race this year. Jason has done a phenomenal job with him all year as well,” said trainer Hunter Oakes.
It was the seventh consecutive win for Dandy Ideal, who increased his 2025 earnings to $617,405.