Batavia: Sophomore trotting fillies chase big prize in NYSS

A single field of seven of the best Empire State-bred sophomore trotting fillies will line up for a bounty of $119,700 when the New York Sire Stakes makes its second stop at Batavia Downs on Wednesday, July 29.

Topping this group of girls is last year's 2-year-old champion Sharp Seven (Chapter Seven-Lookin Sharp), who is currently riding a two-race winning streak. Last year, Sharp Seven won three NYSS legs, one of which was at Batavia, before taking the final that was also held at Batavia. So far in 2026, she has three overall wins including a new lifetime mark of 1:52 4/5 taken at Vernon Downs in her first start of the year. She was a solid 5 3/4-length, 1:55 4/5 winner in her NYSS start at Saratoga last week and looks as formidable as anyone in the race. 

Trainer George Ducharme has North America’s leading dash driver Jason Bartlett back in the bike and has drawn post six for the start. 

Rating closely behind Sharp Seven is Who Dares Win (Chapter Seven-Inspired By Life), who is really a tale of two trotters. Last year she had little success in three NYSS Excel Series outings before coming into the barn of trainer Ake Svanstedt. Since then, she won her last two races of 2025 and this year has won three out of her last four races, including posting a career-best clocking of 1:52 2/5 in an overnight at The Meadowlands in June. And like Sharp Seven, she won the other NYSS division at Saratoga last week in 1:56 4/5 in gate to wire fashion. 

James Macdonald picks up the lines for trainer Svanstedt and starts mid-pack from post four. 

Chant (Chapter Seven-Rebel Girl) cannot be overlooked coming in off of some great starts after a barn change. After having no success in two early NYSS races this year, she became a member of the Ron Burke Stable and has since gotten her first lifetime win in 1:56 4/5 at Yonkers in an overnight before finishing second behind Who Dares Win in NYSS action at Saratoga while being race timed in 1:57. She overcame an outside post last week and looks able to do so again here. 

Burke has Tyler Buter in the bike behind Chant, who has drawn post seven. 

Jula Hot Chill (Chapter Seven-Jula Champagne) is another sleeper in this race despite not having won yet this year. She bankrolled almost $200,000 in 2025 and finished second in the NYSS final behind Sharp Seven at Batavia. However, this year she's had some real hard racing luck in three of her last five starts, including a break and two interferences. If you give her a pass for those, her other recent lines are more than credible for consideration here.

Trainer Marcus Melander has assigned Matt Kakaley to drive the filly who has drawn post one.

There are also two $20,000 NYSS Excel Series races on the card, programmed as races one and seven. 

The New York Sire Stakes race is carded as race six with an estimated post time of 6:40 p.m. 

Post time for the first race at Batavia Downs on Wednesday is 5:00 p.m. 

-edited release (by Tim Bojarski for Batavia Downs)