Batavia, NY – All eyes will be on Batavia Downs on Saturday (Sept. 6) as the track hosts the $2.4 million New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions, which is the richest card of racing scheduled to take place that night.
Eight races valued at $300,000 each will go to post and feature some of the top first- and second-year performers in North America that were bred in the Empire State.
Here is a preview of the stellar resumes of each divisional leader.
2-year-old trotting filly – Sharp Seven (Chapter Seven-Lookin Sharp) – Jeff Gregory/George Ducharme
Sharp Seven has been first or second in five of her seven lifetime starts, including three wins, two of which were in her last two outings. She is tied as the third richest 2-year-old trotting filly in North America ($205,250) and also tied as the fourth richest 2-year-old trotter overall regardless of gender.
Sharp Seven is the substantial leader in points (205) and earnings ($205,250) in NYSS action for this group and has the fastest win time (1:55) of anyone in the field.
2-year-old trotting colt – Titans Mischief (E L Titan-Morosita Bi) – Matt Kakaley/Bruce Clarke
Titans Mischief has been the picture of consistency this year, winning three races and finishing second four more times in his seven starts. He is the second richest ($198,800) 2-year-old male trotter in North America and sixth richest 2-year-old trotter overall regardless of gender.
Titans Mischief tops his NYSS division for points (250) and earnings ($198,800) and also posts the fastest win time (1:55.2) of any of his competitors tonight.
2-year-old pacing filly – Liberty Style (American Ideal-Fly In Style) – Jason Bartlett/Andrew Stafford
Liberty Style has four wins in seven starts this year, including three gate-to-wire victories in her last four starts. She is the fourth richest ($146,309) 2-year-old pacing filly in North America and ninth richest 2-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender.
Liberty Style narrowly tops her division in points (213) and earnings ($146,309) but has the fastest win time (1:52.1) by a good margin coming in.
2-year-old pacing colt – Fragment (Huntsville-The Show Returns) – Jason Bartlett/Per Engblom
In a division that is almost a dead heat, Fragment has had an outstanding year and boasts five wins and one second in seven starts. He is the second richest ($213,475) 2-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender in North America.
Fragment sits first by a small margin in NYSS points (275) and earnings ($213,475) and his mark (1:52) is one-fifth of a second faster than his competition here.
2-year-old pacing gelding – Hunt Off The Press (Huntsville-Off The Press) – Tyler Buter/Jared Bako
Hunt Off The Press will give Fragment all he can handle as his stats are almost identical to the leader. And he has beaten Fragment twice in the past. Hunt Off The Press has four wins in seven starts along with two seconds. His $213,368 in earnings has him as the third richest 2-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender in North America, right behind Fragment and only by only $107.
In NYSS action, Hunt Off The Press is second for points (258) and earnings ($213,368) and has a mark of 1:52.1.
3-year-old trotting filly – My Debt Collecter (Chapter Seven-Magic Presto) Tyler Buter/Nifty Norman
My Debt Collecter set the Batavia Downs track record (1:56.4) for 2-year-old trotting fillies last year in NYSS action during her very successful freshman season. This year she has come back even better, as she has not missed the board in her 12 starts, posting seven wins, three seconds and two thirds and banking $344,772. That total makes her a standout in North America as the second richest 3-year-old trotting filly (behind only Hambletonian Oaks winner Conversano), fifth richest 3-year-old trotter overall and eighth richest trotter regardless of age. She has also lowered her lifetime mark to 1:54.3 along the way.
As the big leader among this NYSS group, My Debt Collecter has 312 points and $284,135 in earnings, which are both the most accumulated by any NYSS competitor this year.
3-year-old trotting colt – Variegated (Chapter Seven-White Cheetah) – Jason Bartlett/Marcus Melander
Variegated, who was the NYSS champion at 2, is a four-time winner this year in nine starts with two second place finishes as well, and those placements have earned him $257,405 in purses. That makes him the fifth richest 3-year-old male trotter in North America and eighth richest 3-year-old trotter overall regardless of gender.
Variegated has only raced in three of the seven NYSS preliminary legs due to Grand Circuit commitments that included an elimination of the Hambletonian. However, he is still the points leader (155) but sits second for earnings ($105,530) closely behind Seven Layer ($140,091), who raced in all seven legs leading up to this final.
3-year-old pacing filly – The Last Martini (Huntsville-Martinique) – Jason Bartlett/Jared Bako
The Last Martini is another 2-year-old NYSS champion looking to repeat and has the ability to do it. She has four wins, three seconds and one third in her 10 starts and comes into this race after being narrowly-beaten by only one-quarter length by Unreasonable in 1:50.2 in the Empire Breeders Classic. Her $286,037 in earnings make her the second richest 3-year-old pacing filly (behind only Miki And Minnie) in North America and eighth richest 3-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender.
The Last Martini is also the points (191) and earnings ($177,190) leader in her NYSS division.
3-year-old pacing gelding – Dandy Ideal (American Ideal-OK Heavenly) – Jason Bartlett/Hunter Oakes
Dandy Ideal’s year has been nothing less than spectacular. He comes into this final on a six-race winning streak that includes stake victories in the Empire Breeders Classic and the Max C. Hempt Memorial, and a sizzling 1:48.2 win at Mohegan Pennsylvania’s Pocono Downs in an overnight event at the beginning of this streak. He is nine of 11 on the board with earnings of $467,405, which makes him the fourth richest 3-year-old pacing male in North America, and fifth richest pacer overall regardless of age or gender. And his 1:48.2 mark is tied as the fourth fastest by a 3-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender.
Dandy Ideal narrowly leads his NYSS division in points (150) and earnings ($145,550) as a result of only four series starts.
3-year-old pacing colt – Courts On Fire (Courtly Choice-Ashlee’s Spitfire) – Yannick Gingras/Blake Macintosh
Courts On Fire was the NYSS 2-year-old champion of this group and sits right behind Dandy Ideal in the standings this year. Overall, he’s hit the board seven of 12 starts, with three wins, while amassing $179,724 in purses.
In NYSS action, Courts On Fire is second for points (149) and earnings ($136,135), right behind Dandy Ideal. He too has a speedy mark this year with his 1:49.1 outing at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The New York Sire Stake final events are programmed as race two, three, five, six, eight, nine, 10 and 11.
Batavia Downs has also announced that there will be two guaranteed pools on Saturday that involve six of the eight finals.
Both Pick-4 wagers will be guaranteed at $7,500. The first is race three, four, five and six, which includes three NYSS finals, and the second is race seven, eight, nine and 10, which also include three NYSS finals.
These guarantees are made in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program and as such, free full past performance program pages will be free to download at ustrotting.com under the Handicapping tab.
And as always, free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Batavia Downs website under the “Live Racing” tab. And you can watch all the races live as they happen for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube page.