Sister Mary Maude one to watch in NYSS action

Monticello, N.Y. – When Race Secretary Eric Warner opened the overflowing box for two-year-old filly trotters, there was no shortage of harness racing entries for Monday’s (Aug. 14) races at Monticello, with a total of 36. When he put the card together, he had three divisions of New York Sire Stakes (NYSS), worth $34,200, and four Excelsior Series splits.

The action starts right away with a five-horse contest in Race 1. Tyler Buter has a pair of place finishes in Sadbirdstillsing’s (PP3) recent outings in the Kindergarten and a NYSS race at Tioga Downs. Seven Year Itch (Jordan Stratton) has been consistent all season, never missing a check. The daughter of Chapter Seven is the co-favorite. She’s trained by Vernon Beachy and will score from post 5.

Race 5 showcases Sister Mary Maude (Crazy Wow), the queen of the division. The top point earner in her division, she’s drawn the rail with Joe Bongiorno handling the driving chores for trainer Ron Burke. She is seeking her fourth consecutive win after impressive Sire Stakes scores at Tioga Downs, Saratoga and Buffalo; she has earned almost $60,000 in her freshman campaign thus far. Moving up in class is Twilight Deo (Jeff Gregory). She made a break in her last outing but prior to that, she finished second in two Excelsior Stakes. Communion Money (PP2) is seeking her second Sire Stakes win on the year. She scored at Buffalo in 2:00.3 in late June. Jason Bartlett will drive.

In the final Sire Stakes dash, Senorita Palema (PP5) has one Sire Stakes blanket in her trunk after a win at Saratoga three weeks back in 1:57. Since then, she has finished second in her last two starts for trainer Ake Svanstedt. She will be driven by Mark MacDonald. Karolina Solveig (Joe Bongiorno/PP4) sports a two-race win skein to her credit in Excelsior company. After two Sire Stakes wins earlier in the season, Crowbar Girl is looking to regain her winning ways from post 6 with Dave Miller in the sulky.

Also on the card are four divisions of the Excelsior Series, with each dash worth $20,000. The standout among them all is the undefeated Barn CJ (Jason Bartlett) hailing from post 4. She has recorded impressive wins at Yonkers in a seven-length romp, Tioga Downs, Saratoga and Buffalo Raceway. The daughter of Crazy Wow is trained by Steve Pratt and will be driven by Jason Bartlett. Marcus Melander has Dozen (PP1) with Brian Sears; the Chapter Seven filly was a winner in her last outing in this class at Yonkers in 1:59.1 for owners Diamond Creek Farm.

Steve Pratt has another nice filly: Barn Dreamer (PP6/Race 4). In three starts, she has wins at Tioga and Saratoga Raceway in this class and has banked $25,000 thus far in the season.

The track record of 1:57.3 for two-year-old fillies is held by Lima Novelty and was set in 2017.

Post time for the ten-race card is 12:10 p.m.

by Kimberly Winston, for Monticello Raceway