Plainville, MA — Massachusetts bred 2- and 3-year-old trotters and pacers who are eligible to the $2.4 million (est.) Massachusetts Sire Stakes later this year have already gotten underway and are winning at tracks across the northeast and the list starts with a pair of 3-year-old trotters who made a lot of news at two, and are ready to do the same again in their sophomore campaigns.

Branded By Lindy (Chapter Seven-The Lindy Label) became the all-time fastest 2-year-old trotting colt ever bred in Massachusetts on the strength of his 1:52 mile at the Red Mile last fall. He also had eight wins in 11 starts and earned $230,650 for his efforts. He won four out of five Kentucky Sire Stakes and finished third in the $600,000 Breeders Crown.

This year he won his qualifier at The Meadowlands on Saturday (May 28) in 1:52.1, which was just a fifth of a second off his lifetime mark and then won handily in his 3-year-old debut at Vernon Downs in a New York Sire Stake timed in 1:54.2. In his only other start this year he finished second as the heavy favorite in the $187,500 Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon.

Branded By Lindy spent three weeks at number one in Ken Warkentin’s Road To The Hambletonian ranking and currently sits at number three.

Raised By Lindy (Walner-Birthright) also etched her name in the history books at two, becoming the all-time fastest 2-year-old trotting filly ever bred in Massachusetts after winning in 1:51.3 at Lexington last year. A multiple stakes winner, Raised By Lindy finished second by a nose to Joviality S in the $600,000 Breeders Crown and pushed her earnings to $295,243 as a result.

In 2022 the filly had a winning qualifier at the Meadowlands in 1:53.3 and followed that up with an overnight win in the Open at Vernon against older trotters where she won by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:54.1. In her most recent start at the Meadowlands on Saturday (June 25) she finished a fast-closing fourth to Molotov Cocktail, timed in 1:52.3 with a last quarter in :26.2 and did beat King Of The North (who finished sixth), who is currently ranked seventh in Warkentin’s Hambo summary.

Raised By Lindy is Hambletonian Oaks eligible and is positioned to be a major player in that stake as well.

All four of last year’s Massachusetts Sire Stake champions have also come back strong this year and are working their way towards repeating in the MASS series that starts on Sunday (Sept. 25).

The 3-year-old pacing gelding Striking Impact (Always B Miki-Aunt Caroline) has won four out of eight starts, all of which were taken at Plainridge Park. He took a new lifetime mark of 1:52.2 on May 5 and is showing the kind of form that won him the $100,000 final last year.

The 3-year-old trotting gelding Bill Bauer (E L Titan-Miss Flaggy Meadow) has already seen stakes action after competing in the $100,000 Bunker Hill Trot at Plainridge and $15,000 New York Sire Stakes Excelsior at Tioga, but unfortunately made a break in each event. That being said he also took a new lifetime mark of 1:56.3 in a 3-1/4 length overnight romp at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

The 3-year-old pacing filly Pembroke Legacy (Baron Biltmore-Pembroke Oasis) has come back as good as she was last year and has already won two of three 2022 starts that include two Maine Sire Stakes at Bangor Raceway. She has not yet improved her best speed mark but has been competing solely over half-mile tracks so far this year.

The 3-year-old trotting filly Tennessee Lindy (Muscle Hill-Nashville Lindy) just started back in June but has already taken a new mark of 1:57 at Plainridge in her second outing. However her first stakes action is still in the offing.

Here is the complete 2022 Massachusetts Sire Stake racing schedule:

Sunday (Sept. 25)
3-year-old first leg

Monday (Sept. 26)
2-year-old first leg

Sunday (Oct. 2)
3-year-old second leg

Monday (Oct. 3)
2-year-old second leg

Sunday (Oct. 16)
2-year-old third leg

Monday (Oct. 17)
3-year-old third leg

Monday (Oct. 24)
2- and 3-year-old finals