BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Tuesday, May 14, 2019—New York Sire Stakes continued downstate Tuesday night
(May 14th), 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.
Odd-on Zero
Tolerance (Dave 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 2½ lengths, with DD
Delicious (Matt Kakaley) third and Crazy Cute (catch-driver Scott Zeron)
fourth.
For Zero Tolerance, a daughter of Heston Blue Chip co-owned
by Val D’or Farms & 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 the 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 ‘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’ 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 20th), 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.
