Batavia, NY --- There are two divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for 2-year-old pacing fillies at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Sept. 18) and each race looks to be a stark contrast from the other.
Suplemental Income looks like she could dominate her field of seven as she enters winning three of six career races and faces six rivals who have just a victory between them in 40 career starts. In the second division, it definitely looks more competitive on paper as all entrants have tasted victories at least once including Sweetnsinful and Rain Cloud Hanover who have combined to win eight of 13.
The opening division, worth $52,506, will go as the second race. Suplemental Income (Bettor's Delight-JK Getupngo) is the morning line favorite at 5-2 for Yonkers regular Jason Bartlett. The current front-running style of Suplemental Income will be enhanced after drawing the rail. Her last appearance was a wire-to-wire job in a $78,929 Sire Stakes event at Yonkers Raceway on Aug. 27 in 1:56.1. Suplemental Income has won $115,550 in her brief career and has been in the money in all six starts.
The main threat could come from Bettor Business (Bettor's Delight-Trick Business) who will start from the two post for driver Ray Schnittker. Despite being winless in seven career outings, Bettor Business seeks the upset as she has hit the board in five of those efforts and bankrolled $53,045.
The seventh race will feature a field of six going for $51,506 and is headlined by Sweetnsinful and Rain Cloud Hanover.
Sweetnsinful (American Ideal-Ali Badali) is the 2-1 morning line choice and will score from the five post for driver Jimmy Whittemore. She comes in winning three of her last four starts, all in the Sire Stakes, including a 1:52.2 mile on Sept. 6 at Vernon Downs where she beat Rain Cloud Hanover by 1-1/4 lengths. Before that she notched a 1-1/4 length victory over JK Molly at Yonkers in 1:55.1 on Aug. 28. Sweetnsinful has been in the money in five of her six starts and has earnings of $106,771.
But Sweetnsinful will have to deal with Rain Cloud Hanover (Art Major-River Hanover) and Jim Morrill, Jr. Rain Cloud Hanover is a five-time winner in seven appearances in 2013 but just one victory has come in Sire Stakes competition. That was on Aug. 27 when she posted a 1:55.4 win at Yonkers Raceway. But she then suffered a defeat to Sweetnsinful on Sept. 6 at Vernon Downs as previously mentioned. Rain Cloud Hanover will start from the two post and has the red-hot Morrill in the sulky.
Morrill has scored six-baggers in each of his last two appearances at Batavia Downs, including last Saturday night and just completed a clean sweep of all three legs of Sire Stakes races, worth $78,000 each, at Yonkers Raceway on Monday.
The longest current Batavia Downs track record will be on the line as the pacing fillies will try and top the 1:55 set by Paula's Best back in 2006.
There will also be two $12,600 Excelsior Series races sprinkled in among the 12-race card, while there will be a non-betting $12,600 division of the Excelsior that will go off at 5:50 p.m. Also, the $8,500 Filly and Mares Open Pace is scheduled.
The Guaranteed $3,000 Pick-4 wager, sponsored by the United States Trotting Association Strategic Wagering Program, the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association and Batavia Downs, will begin in the third race. Free program pages for the Pick-4 sequence are available athandicapping.ustrotting.com.
The program gets underway at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Time-Warner Cable, Channel 98 in Rochester and surrounding areas.