The most anticipated division of New York Sire Stake horses will be at Batavia Downs on Tuesday (Aug. 8) when the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings will assemble for one, $119,800 dash that headlines a 14-race card beginning at 6 p.m.
The track handicapper has given the nod to Metal Man as the early choice, a horse that has shown some great speed this year, but also inconsistency.
Metal Man (Huntsville-Apple Delight) was unraced at two, but started his three-year-old season a winner in an overnight at the Meadowlands in 1:52.3. In his next start he broke and then was subsequently scratched in back-to-back races. He qualified back after five weeks off and then won back to back overnight races at Yonkers, one in 1:52.4 over the hilltop half mile. Since that time he has made consecutive breaks again and was forced to qualify on July 12. He just won his last outing in another overnight at Yonkers in 1:53.2, but he has yet to win a NYSS event.
Jim Morrill Jr. will be up behind Metal Man for the first time for trainer Travis Alexander and has drawn post five.
Its A Me Mario (American Ideal-Nf Salsa) is one of only two horses in this race that has won a NYSS event this year and has already faced the best three-year-olds in the country. After starting the year with four straight wins at Yonkers, Its A Me Mario won his first NYSS event at Vernon in a lifetime best 1:49.4 effort to run his streak to five. He then headed to the Grand Circuit and had some bad draw and racing luck. In the Messenger at Yonkers he drew post seven and was 11-¼ lengths off the leader at the quarter before taking air for almost the rest of the mile. Then in the Meadowlands Pace elimination, he drew post seven again but was able to finish a very impressive third, timed in 1:48.3. Then in that final, Its A Me Mario drew post eight, was tenth at the half and chased an impossible :52.2 back half and :25.4 last quarter set by Confederate. His next outing was a NYSS race at Monticello where he drew post seven and was interfered with before the quarter, but still was able to grab a check.
He still drew post six in here, but Its A Me Mario looks for some better racing luck this week for driver Lauren Tritton who will steer for trainer Shane Tritton.
The other NYSS winner from this year is Duval Street (Huntsville-Native Bride) who got that 1:52.4 tally at Saratoga on June 24, but that wasn’t his best outing of the season. Duval Street has a pair of 1:50.2 victories; one at the Meadows in a 7-½ length romp and one at Mohegan Sun Pocono. He finished third in his last two starts, which were both NYSS events, behind Thunder Hunter Joe and Storm The Court, neither of which are entered here this week. His versatility allows him to either leave or race from behind, giving him a big advantage if the inside speed develops early.
Regular driver Jason Bartlett is back behind Duval Street for trainer Ed Hart and they will start from post three.
There are also three $20,000 NYSS Excelsior divisions on the program and those splits will be contested in races six, seven and eight. The NYSS main event is carded as race 10.
(Batavia Downs)