Yonkers set for massive $3.4 Million Stakes card

Two- and 3-year-olds are ready to compete in their $300,000 New York Sire Stakes finals as part of a stakes-laden harness racing program on Saturday afternoon (September 12) at MGM Yonkers Raceway, and post positions for those events are now set.

Saturday’s program, which begins at 11:50 a.m. (EDT), also includes the Grade 1 $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot and two invitationals – the Bob Miecuna Trot and Aria Pace. Those races will be drawn on Tuesday (September 8), but the entrants, in alphabetical order, are as follows:

 

MGM YONKERS INTERNATIONAL TROT

Antognoni S (Father Patrick)

Betting Pacer S (Maharajah)

Bourbonista S (Face Time Bourbon)

Diva EK (Trixton)

Gio Cash DE (Victor Gio)

Hooker Berry FR (Booster Winner)

Lexus Kody (Archangel)

Mellby Jinx S (Ready Cash)

Powwow NO (Papagayo E)

Super Chapter (Chapter Seven)

 

ARIA INVITATIONAL PACE

Aye Aye Captain N (Captaintreacherous)

Best Chip (Heston Blue Chip)

Captinhammerhead A (Captaintreacherous)

Coaches Corner (Always A Virgin)

Fifth And Five (Bettor’s Delight)

Go Go Grasshopper (Sweet Lou)

Hemsworth N (Sweet Lou)

Howlenthehills (American Ideal)

Mossdale Ben N (A Rocknroll Dance)

Sweet Beach Life (Sweet Lou)

 

BOB MIECUNA INVITATIONAL TROT

Aetos Kronos S (Bold Eagle)

Ari Ferrari J (Walner)

Asteroid (Creatine)

Benjamin Hanover (Sebastian K S)

Devilish Hill (Muscle Hill)

My Degenerate (Muscle Hill)

Sir Pinocchio (Mets Hall)

Southwind Coors (Walner)

Uncle Rat (Uncle Peter)

Up Your Deo (Walner)

As for the sire stakes finals, the 2-year-old colt and gelding trot saw Archon, who won the final prelim at Yonkers on August 31, draw post position five for trainer/driver Dan Daley. He faces the likes of Uncle Rob (post one), Gio’s Hope (post six) and Bailey J (post seven), all multiple victors in the legs of the series.

AI (post three) will look to defend his title from 2025 in the 3-year-old colt and gelding trot but is pitted against a formidable field that includes two from the Ake Svanstedt stable led by Read the Room (post eight) and Chapter Geo J (post six).

Fragment landed the pole position as he looks for his second straight sire stakes crown in the 3-year-old colt and gelding pace. Cooperstown Boy (post two) has won two straight in the sire stakes and Fearless Partners (post seven) captured a sire stakes leg at Batavia and then won the Empire Breeders Championship over Fragment at Tioga.

Kountry Plunge comes into the sire stakes final for rookie trotting fillies with a four-for-four record and starts from post one. Others in that field to taste NYSS success during the prelims were Jula Florence (post two), Seveallisto (post five) and Chapizzy (post six).

Annie O (post four) and Cowboy Candy (post eight) were the two dominant forces in the 2-year-old pacing filly ranks and are set to face off in their final. Fendilicious (post two), Phast Phyllis (post three) and Huntsvilles Honey (post five) also posted wins in the sire stakes in the opening rounds.

Odds On Monetary (post one) and Savage Cindy (post five) emerged as the leading 3-year-old filly pacers during the regular season, but Liberty Style (post six) is the defending champion for this group and Surreal Spirit (post seven) won two of her last three prelims at Yonkers and Tioga, with the latter coming over Odds On Monetary.

Sharp Seven (post five) has her eyes on back-to-back sire stakes championships in the 3-year-old filly trot, but Who Dares Wins (post four) and Lauren’s Chapter (post two) both had multiple victories in the prelims – as did Sharp Seven – and Storybook Love (post eight) comes in off a victory in the Grand Circuit Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Last, but certainly not least, are the rookie colt and gelding pacers. Rose Run Cowboy (post four) is riding a three-race win streak, but this is a deep group where only one of the seven entrants didn’t capture at least one win during the NYSS prelims.

The full fields for the New York Sire Stakes finals can be found at the end of this release.

Trainers should be aware that there will be a strict detention policy in place for all New York Sire Stakes races, as well as the MGM Yonkers International Trot, Bob Miecuna Trot and the Aria Pace. The New York Gaming Commission will run the detention barn out of the paddock and the ship-in barn. It opens on Friday, September 11 at 9:50 a.m. (EDT) and closes promptly at 11:50 a.m. If a horse arrives late, they will be scratched.

For Saturday’s wagering menu, the Standardbred Owners Association (SOA) of New York is seeding $25,000 in the Pick 5, and the guarantee for that is $100,000. The SOA is also seeding $10,000 in a special $3 minimum Pick 3 that features the Aria, Bob Miecuna, and International Trot and that pool will be guaranteed at $25,000. The guarantees are being done in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program.

MGM Yonkers Raceway will have live racing Monday through Thursday and Saturday this week, with Friday (September 11) dark in preparation for the MGM Yonkers International Trot program. Beginning next week, MGM Yonkers Raceway will shift back to its Monday through Friday live schedule with first race post time each night at 6:45 p.m. (EDT).

New York Sire Stakes finals fields:

Two-year-old male trot

1-T Money (Crazy Wow)(post two)-driver TBA-Dan Daley

1A-Archon (Chapter Seven)(post five)-Dan Daley-Dan Daley

2-Uncle Rob (Mets Hall)(post one)-Andy Miller-Julie Miller

3-Bigtime Chapter (Chapter Seven)-Matt Kakaley-Marcus Melander

4-Celebrity Dubai (Chapter Seven)-Brian Sears-Hunter Oakes

5-Gio’s Hope (Chapter Seven)(post six)-Dexter Dunn-Marcus Melander

6-Bailey J (Chapter Seven)(post seven)-Jason Bartlett-Noel Daley

7-Magic Musk (Chapter Seven)(post eight)-Jim Pantaleano-Richard Perfido

 

Three-year-old male trot

1-Seven Grand (Chapter Seven)(post two)-Brian Sears-Ake Svanstedt

1A-Read The Room (Chapter Seven)(post eight)-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

2-Highway Six (Mets Hall)(post one)-Jeff Gregory-Jeff Gregory

3-AI (Chapter Seven)-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

4-Sevenato (Chapter Seven)-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer

5-Twin B Seven Sins (Chapter Seven)-Andrew McCarthy-Noel Daley

6-Chapter Geo J (Chapter Seven)-Jason Bartlett-Noel Daley

7-Titans Mischief  (E L Titan)-Matt Kakaley-Bruce Clarke

 

Three-year-old male pace

1-Fragment (Huntsville)-Jason Bartlett-Petter Engblom

2-Cooperstown Boy (Huntsville)-Colin Kelly-Jared Bako

3-Knoxville (Huntsville)-Tyler Buter-Ray Schnittker

4-Hard To Forget (American Ideal) -Matt Kakaley-Travis Alexander

5-Hunting Glory (Huntsville)-Ridge Warren-Robert Cleary

6-Unmatched Wisdom (American Ideal)-Leon Bailey-Chuck Connor Jr.

7-Fearless Partners (American Ideal)-Jordan Stratton-Noel Daley

 

Two-year-old filly trot

1-Kountry Plunge (Chapter Seven)-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

2-Jula Florence (Chapter Seven)-Tyler Miller-Julie Miller

3-Wavy Xavie (Mets Hall)-Jeff Gregory-Jeff Gregory

4-Secret Lover (Chapter Seven)-Jason Bartlett-Marcus Melander

5-Seveallisto (Chapter Seven)-Leon Bailey-Jessica Okusko

6-Chapizzy (Chapter Seven)-Matt Kakaley-George Ducharme

7-Anabella (Chapter Seven)-Brett Beckwith-Nancy Takter

 

Two-year-old filly pace

1-Hurrikane Schmazy (Hurrikane Emperor)-Yannick Gingras-John McDermott

2-Fendilicious (Huntsville)-Yannick Gingras-Deborah Daguet

3-Phast Phyllis (Huntsville)-Braxten Boyd-Cameron Capone

4-Annie O (Huntsville)-Leon Bailey-Andrew Stafford

5-Huntsvilles Honey (Huntsville)-Matt Kakaley-George Ducharme

6-Maxina (Courtly Choice)-Todd McCarthy-Ricky Bucci

7-Too Pink To Pass (Huntsville)-Lauren Tritton-Shane Tritton

8-Cowboy Candy (So Surreal)-Jason Bartlett-Aaron Lambert

 

Three-year-old filly pace

1-Odds On Monetary (Huntsville)-Matt Kakaley-Travis Alexander

2-Two Twenty Swift (Huntsville)-Yannick Gingras-Deborah Daguet

3-Hunting Memories (Huntsville)-Colin Kelly-Jacob Stillwell

4-Ideal Beauty Queen (American Ideal)-Scott Zeron-Jake Huff

5-Savage Cindy (Huntsville)-Leon Bailey-Cory Stratton

6-Liberty Style (American Ideal)-Jason Bartlett-Andrew Stafford

7-Surreal Spirit (So Surreal)-Jeff Gregory-Jeff Gregory

8-Saulsbrook Rolo (Roll With Joe)-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

 

Three-year-old filly trot

1-Who Dares Wins (Chapter Seven) (post four-Yannick Gingras-Ake Svanstedt

1A-Flying Copper (Chapter Seven)(post six)-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

2-Chant (Chapter Seven)(post one)-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

3-Lauren’s Chapter (Chapter Seven) (post two)-Jordan Stratton-Noel Daley

4-Jula Hot To Chill (Chapter Seven) (post three)-Matt Kakaley-Marcus Melander

5-Sharp Seven (Chapter Seven)-Jason Bartlett-George Ducharme

6-R Ro (Chapter Seven)(post seven)-Tyler Buter-John Butenschoen

7-Storybook Love (Chapter Seven)(post eight)-Todd Ratchford-Matt Bax

 

Two-year-old male pace

1-Bastonata Bluechip (American Courage)-Dexter Dunn-Travis Alexander

2-Beatle Blue Chip (Huntsville)-Todd McCarthy-Noel Daley

3-Marie’s Jet (Roll With Joe)-Jason Bartlett-Aaron Lambert

4-Rose Run Cowboy (Huntsville)-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

5-Primacy Station (American Ideal)-Matt Kakaley-Travis Alexander

6-Free Agent (American Ideal)-Dexter Dunn-Blake Macintosh

7-Man On A Hunt (Huntsville)-Andrew McCarthy-Noel Daley

By Yonkers Raceway Media