Monticello, NY – On Monday (July 21) the New York Sire Stakes roll into town with 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings taking center stage.
When Race Secretary Eric Warner opened the box, he had enough entries to go with two dashes of NYSS worth $58,000 and $59,100, and four $20,000 races for the Excelsior’s class. The 11-race card gets underway at 12:10 p.m. (EDT). The four Excelsior races are carded as race four, seven, nine and 10.
Race two is the first sire stakes event, with five starters. Fast Choice (PP3- J. Bartlett) is the morning-line favorite. The son of Courtly Choice has tangled with the big boys competing in both the Messenger and North American Cup for trainer Jared Bako and is seeking his first seasonal win. Oogleville (PP1 – J. Stratton) is making his eighth start at eight different tracks, in 10 starts he is 3-3-1 for trainer Per Engblom. Thirsty Thursday (PP5 – T. Buter) has one NYSS win on his resume. Last year he finished second in the $225,000 NYSS final.
The second heat, race eight, is a six-horse field and has the top two leading divisional point earners in together. The leading point earner is Courts On Fire (PP4 – B. Beckwith). He has two sire stakes wins to his credit this season, at Saratoga and Vernon Downs. The son of Courtly Choice is trained by Blake Macintosh. Dune Buggy (PP3 – G. Merton), ranked second, scored in a NYSS event earlier this season at Buffalo Raceway, and is a three-time winner this year. The son of Huntsville is trained by Nick Devita. Dandy Ideal (PP2 J. Bartlett) has banked $76,530 thus far this season. He took his lifetime mark in his last start at Pocono Downs, 1:48.2. The son of American Ideal is trained by Hunter Oakes.