Yonkers, NY — New York Sire Stakes continued downstate Tuesday night (May 14), with Yonkers Raceway hosting the soggy $170,500 Art Watson Pace for 3-year-old fillies. Two consecutively-contested divisions, at $85,250 each, comprised the event.

Zero Tolerance whipped a loosely-pocketed So Awesome by 2-1/2 lengths. Mike Lizzi photo.

Odd-on Zero Tolerance (David Miller, $2.40) widened in the first division. From post position No. 4, she crawled to the half (:28.2, :59.2), then rebuffed a hard challenge from Meghan Lynn (Joe Bongiorno), then finished it off (1:27.1, 1:55.2).
Zero Tolerance whipped a loosely-pocketed So Awesome (Tim Tetrick) by 2-1/2 lengths, with DD Delicious (Matt Kakaley) third and Crazy Cute (Scott Zeron) fourth.

For Zero Tolerance, a daughter of Heston Blue Chip co-owned by Val D’or Farms and Ted Gewertz and trained by Joe Holloway, it was her first win in two seasonal starts (7-for-13, $485,813 as 2-year-old). The exacta (two wagering choices) paid $4.80, the triple returned $32.80 and the superfecta paid $177.50.

“She was good and strong. I liked the way she raced,” Miller said.

The second/final sire stakes event saw a perfectly-towed Brooklyn Lilacs (Bongiorno, $65) edge past the lass who took her into the fray, Hurrikane Norakane (Dan Dube).

The latter went up and over just-over-even-money choice JK American Beauty (Zeron) after that one led through intervals of :28.2, :57.4 and 1:26.2. When the leader tired (to fifth), she trapped last season’s frosh champ, Money Shot Hanover (Tetrick), in behind.

Hurrikane Norakane grabbed a short lead off the final turn, but Brooklyn Lilacs (from post No. 4) was ready for her close-up. Brooklyn Lilacs went by late, the margin a neck in a life-best 1:55.2. Heaven’s Challenge (Miller) closed for third-over to grab third, with Money Shot Hanover settling for fourth.

For sixth choice Brooklyn Lilacs, a homebred Rock N Roll Heaven miss owned by Crawford Farms and trained by Jennifer Bongiorno, it was her first win in three ’19 tries (1-for-7, $60,660 as 2-year-old). The exacta paid $466, the triple returned $4,466 and the superfecta paid $7,127.

“She’s a nice filly and I think she’s going to get better every start,” driver Bongiorno said.

New York Sire Stakes returns downstate Thursday night (June 20), with the Jim Meagher Pace for 2-year-old colts and geldings.

Total purses for the 2019 New York-bred program are estimated at $14 million. For more information, please visit www.nysirestakes.com.