Shenandoah Downs: Preps in the books for Virginia Sire Stakes finals

Bob McKim's Kalispel and Clifton Green's KNL Neely Girl captured respective colt and filly trotting divisions in the first- ever Virginia Sire Stakes races ever held at Shenandoah Downs this weekend.

McKim's trotter wired the eight-horse field and crossed the wire six lengths the best in 2:02 2/5. After cutting panels of 30 2/5, 1:02 1/5 and 1:33, the Gregory Pecs gelding took a 2 1/2 length lead into the top of the stretch and powered home to beat Scott Warnick's runner-up Financialymbarased. Kalispel is owned by McKim and is now two-for-three in his young career. Tracy Bradshaw's Kades Nay took third. The entire field will return this Saturday, September 27 to compete in the $60,000 final.

In the $6,000 filly division, driver Jesse Leinbach scored his first career driving win by directing KNL Neely Girl to a wire-to-wire triumph in 2:06 3/5. The freshman daughter of Snow King authored quarter stanzas of 31 1/5, 1:03 and 1:34 4/5 before crossing the wire 1 1/4 lengths ahead of second-place finisher Talehia. The upset winner, who is owned by JML Racing of New Holland, Pennsylvania, was sent off at odds of 24-1 and paid $51.20 for the win. Tremaine Harding owns the runner-up. Rock Vinci's Giddy Up Yaya Girl was third.

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Sunday's Sire Stake divisional pacing events were won by Leonard Jones' Morton J and Rock Vinci's Treasuremealways. The former went wire-to-wire in a two-horse field, crossing the finish line in 2:08 4/5 while beating Scott Warnick's I Be Haulin Fast. The winner, a Yankee Royalty gelding, was driven by Declan Donoway.

The latter division, for filles, saw the freshman daughter of Strong Player come from behind as the field of four turned for home. Scott Warnick's Dancing Joyce cut fractions of 29 2/5, 59 2/5 and 1:30 4/5 but surrendered the front-end as Willliam Carter led Treasuremealways alongside, then moved forward at the head of the stretch. Treasuremealways, owned by Susan Hager, finished in 2:02 1/5. Runner-up May I Help You (Leon Harris) finished 1 3/4 lengths behind while Dancing Joyce took third.

To be eligible for the Sire Stakes, horses must have been sired by a stallion that was registered with the Virginia Harness Horse Association and stood in the Commonwealth of Virginia during the breeding year. The program began in the 2022 breeding season and resulting foal crop of 2023 — which are now 2-year-olds --- competed for $6,000 purses this weekend and $60,000 purses next weekend.

--press release (Shenandoah Downs)--