Press release:
Many dignitaries were on hand Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 11) at Batavia Downs to draw post positions for the eight divisions of the $1.8 million New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) that will be held during the Night of Champions on Saturday night (Sept. 14).
Kelly Young, who is the executive director of the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding and Development Fund, joined the Director/General Manager of Live Racing at Batavia Downs, Todd Haight in welcoming New York State Assemblyman Stephen Hawley to the Downs to serve his constituents in a little different fashion.
Hawley was the Honorary Drawmaster for this event and pulled pills alongside the President of the Western New York Horseman’s Association, Bruce Tubin.
Eight full fields of eight will pit 64 of the best horses bred in New York that were decided as a result of their competition throughout the state all summer.
Notable participants as expected are: 3-year-old trotting colt Gimpanzee (Chapter Seven-Steamy Windows) 1:52.4 ($1,145,996); 3-year-old pacing filly Zero Tolerance (Heston Blue Chip-Feelinglikeastar) 1:50.2 ($868,236); 3-year-old trotting filly Quincy Blue Chip (Chapter Seven-Sirenuse) 1:53.2 ($562,930); 3-year-old trotting filly Winndevie (Credit Winner-Vida De Vie) 1:54 ($467,932); 3-year-old pacing colt Shakethathouse (American Ideal-Shake That Junk) 1:47.4 ($452,804); 3-year-old pacing colt Hickfromfrenchlick (So Surreal-My Girl’s A Star) 1:48.4 ($414,427); 2-year-old trotting filly Hypnotic Am (Chapter Seven-Daydream Am S) 1:53 ($273,957); and 2-year-old pacing colt Groovy Joe (Roll With Joe-Chotat Milk) 1:52 ($174,595).
Here are the fields:
3-year-old pacing fillies
- 1 Hurrikane Norakane
- 2 So Awesome
- 3 Sulky Queen
- 4 Brooklyn Lilacs
- 5 Crazy Cute
- 6 JK American Beauty
- 7 Zero Tolerance
- 8 Dd Delicious
3-year-old trotting fillies
- 1 Blue Ribbon Gal
- 2 Stella Jane
- 3 Quincy Blue Chip
- 4 With Out A Doubt
- 5 Sweet Chapter
- 6 Pilgrims Lass
- 7 Sensibility
- 8 Winndevie
2-year-old pacing fillies
- 1 The Fun Marshall
- 2 Movie Town
- 3 Cash Roll
- 4 So Rude
- 5 Racine Bell
- 6 Hidden Cove
- 7 Merga Hanover
- 8 Galleria Gal
2-year-old trotting fillies
- 1 Hushabye
- 2 Hypnotic Am
- 3 Seventimesalady
- 4 Without A Warning
- 5 Really Blue Chip
- 6 Soprese
- 7 Illdoitmyself
- 8 Love A Good Story
2-year-old pacing colts and geldings
- 1 Sandy’s Bolt
- 2 Freedom Warrior
- 3 Save Me A Dance
- 4 Splash Brother
- 5 Cigars And Port
- 6 Hurrikanekingjames
- 7 Level up
- 8 Groovy Joe
2-year-old trotting colts and geldings
- 1 Beerthirty K
- 2 Sky Castles
- 3 Hobbs
- 4 Third Shift
- 5 Barn Holden
- 6 Berkery J
- 7 Chaptima
- 8 Bourbon Express
3-year-old trotting colts and geldings
- 1 Cavill Hanover
- 2 Lucky Weekend
- 3 Powerscourt
- 4 Captain Krupnik
- 5 Livinonthedash
- 6 Travel Winner
- 7 Gimpanzee
- 8 Winnerup
3-year-old pacing colts and geldings
- 1 Hickfromfrenchlick
- 2 Major Blake
- 3 Artie’s Ideal
- 4 Shake That house
- 5 Buddy Hill
- 6 Major March
- 7 Reining Deo
- 8 Rollwithpapajoe
Photos by Howard Owens.
Top photo: Bruce Tubin, president of the WNY Harness Horseman Association, and Assemblyman Steve Hawley draw the first number for race positions.
Placing the name of the first horse drawn on the racing card is Sarah Quinn, director of communications for Capitol Hill Management Services in Albany.
From left, Todd Haight, director of racing for Batavia Downs, Associate Judge Andy Ferris, Race Secretary Joe Zambito, Associate Judge Noel Cropper, President of the Western New York Horseman’s Association, Bruce Tubin and Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
