by M. Kelly Young, executive director, Harness Horse Breeders of New York

Saratoga Springs, NY — New York Sire Stakes races will be held at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Wednesday evening (June 6) with $340,917 in purses for the 3-year-old trotting filly set. A total of six divisions will head to post for the first of the six-leg summer-long series that travels across the state.

Owner-trainer Paul Kelley will be among the local horsemen sending out a contender on Wednesday. His Credit Winner filly Alidade will start from post two in the ninth race with regular driver Brian Mattison up.

Kelley’s last New York Sire Stakes appearance at the Spa oval was a winning effort in the $150,000 New York Sire Stakes final with then-3-year-old trotting filly Quick Credit during last September’s Night of Champions. While the conditioner admits Alidade is not quite the caliber of his champion filly, Kelley is very happy with her progress from last year.

“She was a late starter and made a few starts in the (New York-bred) Late Closers and improved as her 2-year-old season went on and she has continued to do that this year,” said Kelley, who owns the filly with Bill Weaver, Jim Winske and Sterlingbrook Farms.

“Last year we thought she got kicked in the hock — she had a big hock all year, but she never showed any lameness,” explained the trainer. “We took her to Cornell (University) and they scoped the hock and everything and couldn’t find anything wrong with it other than it was big. They said we could put her back into training.”

After a three-month layoff following her freshman season, the filly began training back and has steadily improved. The filly finished third in her first start back this year at Tioga Downs, then second at that track and this past week won in 2:01.1 at her home track at Saratoga.

Alidade drew into the division with Oh Oh Its Magic, an imposing foe who has won all of her three starts this year including the $180,625 Empire Breeders Classic on May 28. Already this season Oh Oh Its Magic has amassed $114,070 in earnings and was listed as the overwhelming 3-5 morning line favorite from the rail on Wednesday. She is trained by Carl Gillespie for breeder-owner Carolyn Atherton.

“I think she drew into one of the toughest divisions this week, but that’s OK, it will give us a chance to see how she stacks up against the top fillies in the division,” Kelley said hopefully of his own filly, who earned 8-1 billing in the morning line. “I don’t know that I can say she will beat Oh Oh Its Magic, but we haven’t really asked her (to race hard) yet and Brian hasn’t had to push her in a race so we don’t know how fast she really can go.”

Kelley is currently on a strong winning streak. Just last week he won five of seven starts at three different tracks in New York. Overall in 2007 he carries a .444 Universal Trainer Rating average, similar to a batting average in baseball. At Saratoga alone he carries a phenomenal .521 average and his win percentage at home is 38 percent with 10 winners in 26 starts in 2007.

“In this business it’s often feast or famine, but we had a very good week last week,” said Kelley. “I really have to credit a great staff for making it happen.”

Tessel, who is defending the 2-year-old New York Sire Stakes championship title she earned last September at Saratoga, was saddled with the outside post eight in the third race division. This Conway Hall lass earned more than $132,000 last season, but has had a rocky road back as a 3-year-old with more than one bout of sickness. She did qualify and win in a new career mark of 2:00.1 at Vernon Downs on May 29 and her connections are hoping the filly is finally right for the start of the Sire Stakes season.

Ray Schnittker, who seems to be the most prolific New York Sire Stakes trainer in the state, will start a filly in each of the six divisions on Wednesday. The Goshen, N.Y.-based horseman owns part of each starter and assumes both the training and driving duties on, in race order, Treasure Me Always, Winning Appeal, Chippewa Street, Julieannie, L Dees Maryann and Ada Girl.

New York Sire Stakes divisions will be featured as races three, five, six, eight, nine and 11 on the 13-race card Wednesday. Post time is 7:00 p.m.