Saratoga Harness: Favorites prove best in Sunday's New York Sire Stakes

All eyes will be on the Thoroughbreds in Saratoga starting on Thursday, but the harness track had some stakes action of its own on Sunday afternoon with four New York Sire Stakes duels for 2-year-old filly trotters.

In the first $43,100 tilt, Billie E (Ake Svanstedt) led the way through fractions of 29 1/5, 1:00 1/5 and 1:30 1/5, but Brian Sears brought Date Night Hanover to the outside from the pocket in the lane, and she out-footed Billie E to the wire, defeating her by two lengths in 1:59 2/5. R Melina (Tyler Buter) grabbed third.

By Chapter Seven and bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, Date Night Hanover was the top seller at last year's Standardbred Horse Sale, fetching $600,000 from Jeff Snyder and Onda Racing Stable LLC. The Marcus Melander trainee paid $4.20 to win as the favorite and was making her pari-mutuel debut today after finishing second and first (in 1:57 4/5) in two baby races at the Meadowlands.

Svanstedt turned the tables on Sears in the next $42,300 grouping as Honorable Way put up stations of 30, 1:00 4/5 and 1:30 2/5 en route to the win by three-parts of a length in 1:59 3/5 over Sears and Seven Year Itch, who rallied after going first-up from third passing three-quarters. Goodbye To You (Wally Hennessey) collected third.

A Chapter Seven homebred for Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld, Honorable Way is the first foal out of Special Honor, a Father Patrick half-sister to Special Hill, the dam of Dan Patch Award winner Special Way, who competes for the same connections. Honorable Way, who returned $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favorite, broke her maiden in her first opportunity after one winning qualifier at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

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The third $43,100 division saw Senorita Palema and Svanstedt turn a pocket trip into a 1:57 victory. Erin (Dan Daley) led at the 28 4/5 quarter, 59 4/5 half and 1:28 1/5 three-quarters but couldn't fend off the winner, falling half a length short, and Dozen (Scott Zeron) gained to get third.

Another daughter of Chapter Seven, this one bred by Winbak Farm, Senorita Palema is trained by Svanstedt for owner Bender Sweden Inc. A $150,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, Senorita Palema took her lone qualifier at the Meadowlands in 1:59 3/5 on June 17. Senorita Palema was the betting choice and paid $3.50 to win.

99-1 shot Ms Titan (Ronald Houghtaling) hit the quarter in 28 3/5 and the half in 58 4/5 in the last $43,100 test, but Star Attraction (Svanstedt) went two-wide from the pocket heading to the 1:28 1/5 three-quarters and took charge beyond that marker. She was unable to fend off a last quarter rally from favored Sister Mary Maude (Joe Bongiorno), though, as Bongiorno brought the chalk off the cones as they raced through the backstretch for the last time, went by Star Attraction off the final bend, and pulled away to score by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:57 2/5. Star Attraction wound up second, followed by Chapalonia (Jason Bartlett).

Sister Mary Maude, a Crazy Wow filly bred by David Hanson, was making her first start for trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., William Switala, James Martin and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. This was her third victory from four lifetime starts, she has now earned $44,196, and she returned $3.50 to win.