by M. Kelly Young, Executive Director, Harness Horse Breeders of New York State

HAMBURG, N.Y. – The New York Sire Stakes for 2-year-old filly pacers debut at Buffalo Raceway on Sunday afternoon, July 15. This first round of filly action features eight divisions with total purses worth $126,160.

Among the young starters is To The Point, a full sister to two-time New York Sire Stakes Champion Uleavemebreathless (Sealed N Delivered-Fast Talker). That colt earned $340,000 on the track, securing the top honors in the Empire State in 2003 and 2004. His little sister is just starting her career, but recently earned a second-place finish in the Kindergarten Classic at Tioga Downs.

“She’s basically a pretty easy filly,” explained Schnittker. “I think she’ll be a good New York Sire Stakes horse, but I’m going to have to get on her case a little now since we’re going for some real money.”

“She’s a little immature still,” added the trainer of the sometimes rambunctious filly. “She’s a big filly, but she’s good gaited and she gets around every track very well.”

To The Point has had to perform on the half-mile tracks of Goshen Historic and Monticello, as well as the five-eighths of Pocono and Tioga Downs, performing equally well on each. She is a homebred for Mathias Meinzinger, who owned the now exported Sealed N Delivered.

Schnittker will drive the filly on Sunday, but his hectic stable schedule this stakes season has prevented him from driving To The Point in most of her early starts, represented instead by the stable’s fledgling young driver Gareth Dowse. She enters the race with a modest $2,762 on her card and will start from post four in the ninth race.

The trainer never had the chance to sit behind Uleavemebreathless, but admits of his filly’s older brother, “He was always beating me.”

Schnittker, who grew up in the small town of Pendleton, N.Y., northeast of Buffalo, will have two stakes opportunities to hit the winner’s circle Sunday—the other coming in the 11^th race with Meinzinger’s My Witty Lass, who is trained by Robbie Siegelman. Although moved away two decades ago, whenever Schnittker enters the winners circle at Buffalo Raceway, he still gets a roar from the local crowd.

Away We Go is the richest filly on the Sire Stakes program with an even $10,000 in earnings. This daughter from the first New York-eligible crop of Dream Away won consecutive legs of the Kindergarten Classic at Tioga and boasts a 1:56 career mark.

Daniel Altman trains the filly he owns with MGM Racing and Kevin Ciarpelli. She will be looking to extend her perfect career winning streak to three when she starts from post three in the eighth race.

The 13-race card gets underway Sunday at 1:05 p.m. New York Sire Stakes are featured as races one, three, four, six, eight, nine, 11 and 12.