Monticello: Fragment highlights NYSS event on Monday

The glamour division of the New York Sire Stakes, the 3-year-old male pacers, visits Monticello Raceway on Monday, August 3rd. The 7 horse dash has a purse of $119,000. The elite group is headed by the top two point leaders in their division-- Fragment and Knoxville. Also on tap are two divisions of the $20,000 Excelsior Stakes.

The Sire Stakes race is carded as Race 8. Fragment (PP5), the talented and well-bred son of of Huntsville – The Show Returns, an $80,000 yearling acquisition, is trained by Per Engblom for owners Engblom Farm LLC, Doug Sipple and Peaceful Acre Farm. The sophomore sidewinder has two Sire Stakes thus far with wins at Tioga Downs in 1:49 3/5 and just missed the track record at Saratoga with a 1:51 4/5 score. He also annexed the 1 1/4 MGM Pace at Yonkers in 2:21 4/5, defeating recent Adios winner Al Papi. He is the seventh-leading purse money earner for 3 year old colts with $234,400 in just 4 starts. His freshman season included wins in the Night of Champions NYSS Final, The Matron & The Big Apple, and a second-place finish in his Breeders Crown elimination. Fragment will be driven by Jason Bartlett, who already has driven winners to two new track records this season at the Mighty M.

Knoxville (PP6) will be driven for the first time by Brent Holland. The son of Huntsville-Let’s Fall In Love is trained by Raymond Schnittker. He is the divisions point leader, with Sire Stakes wins at Buffalo and Vernon Downs where he took his lifetime mark in 1:50 3/5, and an Excelsior win at Goshen. He defeated Fragment earlier in the year in Sire Stakes at Buffalo Raceway.

The track record for 3 year old pacing colts is 1:52 1/5 set by Kenneth J in 2007. Post time for the 11 race card is 12:10pm.

-edited release (Resorts World/Monticello)