Yonkers: Uncle Rob's track record headlines NYSS finals for trotters

Uncle Rob, AI, Kountry Plunge and Sharp Seven were victorious in their respective $300,000 New York Sire Stakes finals for trotters on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 12) at MGM Yonkers Raceway.

The day kicked off with a 1:56 2/5 track record performance by gelding Uncle Rob in the final for 2-year-old males.

Driven by owner Andy Miller, Uncle Rob led through fractions of 29, 58 4/5 and 1:27 3/5 and held sway by a length over Gio's Hope (Dexter Dunn), who went three-wide from mid-pack before three-quarters to take up the chase from first-over. T Money (Yannick Gingras) was third from the pocket.

"I owe it all to Andy and his groom. After his last start at Yonkers when he made that miscue, we added the hobbles to the bike," said winning trainer Julie Miller. "We thought that might steady him versus the hobbles that go underneath their belly. I don't know if that change helped or not; I haven't talked to Andy, but obviously the results are pretty fantastic for us today. I was really happy how the race obviously unfolded. Andy did great fractions and he showed up in the end.

"It's a great program. We love the New York Sire Stakes program. We definitely have the Big Apple (elims on Oct. 2 and final on Oct. 9 at Vernon) in our future. Besides that, he'll be shut down and wait until next year."

Uncle Rob is a Met's Hall gelding bred by Lee Sitto. Uncle Rob has four wins and three runner-up finishes from nine outings, has banked $321,825 and paid $14 to win as a 6-1 offering. He led a $45.26 exacta and a $133.10 trifecta.

AI (Gingras) defended his sire stakes title from 2025 by taking the final for 3-year-old colts and geldings in 1:55 4/5.

Read The Room (Ake Svanstedt) got away well from post eight and was able to clear to the top in a 28 3/5 quarter, but Gingras swung AI to the outside from the pocket and took control beyond that marker. From there, AI hit the half in 58 seconds and the three-quarters in 1:27 while second choice Chapter Geo J (Jason Bartlett) made a break while trying to advance first-over. It was all AI in he final panel off the well-rated tempo and with Chapter Geo J out of contention, as he sprinted home in 28 4/5 to defeat Read The Room by three lengths. Highway Six (Jeff Gregory) collected third.

"Last week we knew he was coming around. He got knocked down in the first turn and still came back and only got beat a length (in the sire stakes at Batavia)," remarked winning trainer Ron Burke, who said AI has the Breeders Crown on his future schedule. "Once he made the front here, and the colt of Jason's ran, that gave him another breather in the second and third quarter. I knew he could hold them off from there."

Bred by Steve Jones, AI is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC., Hatfield Stables, Knox Services Inc. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The Chapter Seven colt has a summary of 7-3-5 from 26 efforts, has pocketed $706,662 and returned $4.68 to win as the favorite. He keyed a $14.30 exacta and a $45.42 trifecta.

Kountry Plunge (Svanstedt) improved to five-for-five in her career with a 1:57 triumph in the final for 2-year-old fillies.

Starting from post one, Kountry Plunge fired out and then gave a parking ticket to Seveallisto (Leon Bailey) to the 27 second quarter and the 57 second half. Kountry Plunge had dispatched of Seveallisto before three-quarters went on the board in 1:26 3/5, and a second-over Secret Lover (Jason Bartlett) couldn't make any headway after going three-wide from second-over, which left Kountry Plunge and pocket-sittter Jula Florence (Tyler Miller) to decide it.

Miller tipped Jula Florence to the outside and did cut into Kountry Plunge's margin, but it wasn't enough, as Kountry Plunge hit the wire half a length ahead of Jula Florence. Anabella (Brett Beckwith) rallied from seventh to third in the final quarter.

"It was a longshot that wanted to come past me. Then I would have had to have gone out again, so I decided to park him," trainer/driver Svanstedt said about his strategy. "She was a little tired today. It was the first time I felt her tired, but the track is not fast. She's a top horse. She can compete on the mile track also."

Svanstedt added that Kountry Plunge will now switch to facing Grand Circuit competition.

A Chapter Seven filly, Kountry Plunge was bred by Kountry Lane Standardbred LLC. and is owned by Obm Stable, Svanstedt & Midnight Sun, Bender Sweden Inc. and Ecurie Diocles Ab. Kountry Plunge, whose dam Plunge Blue Chip was also a New York Sire Stakes champion, has earned $277,100 to go with her perfect record and returned $2.22 to win as the 1-9 favorite. The exacta was worth $6.48 and the trifecta kicked back $75.84.

As AI did in the race for sophomore colts and geldings, 3-year-old filly Sharp Seven (Bartlett) backed up her sire stakes title from a year ago by winning the final for that division in 1:55 1/5.

Sharp Seven was two-wide past the 28 1/5 quarter to wrangle the top spot away from Storybook Love (Todd Ratchford) and would continue to show the way through middle-half panels of 58 and 1:26 4/5. Who Dares Wins (Gingras) tipped out from third before three-quarters, advanced into second and challenged Sharp Seven on the final bend, but then made a break before they turned for home. With that foe out of the picture, Sharp Seven just had to stave off Storybook Love, which she did by a length. Jula Hot To Chill (Matt Kakaley) grabbed third.

"She just hasn't been handling the tracks right (in a couple of recent races where she broke). I made a couple of shoeing adjustments this week and trained her pretty good. It really all worked out today finally," said victorious trainer George Ducharme, who also won a pacing final earlier on the card. "This is the first time in four starts (at Yonkers) she ever trotted the whole mile, so I was holding my breath a little. She's just been a great filly, a great surprise for all of us.

"She might have a couple of Grand Circuit races. We're going to look at that, but other than that she's overachieved for what we wanted so far. I'll look at, if she comes out of this good, going to Canada for the Elegantimage, and then she has the Breeders Crown if we choose."

By Chapter Seven and bred by Fred Hertrich III, Sharp Seven is trained by Ducharme for owner Purple Haze Stables LLC. She is a ten-time winner from 23 tries, has put away $710,600 and returned $5.04 to win as the favorite. She was atop a $16.72 exacta and a $110.08 trifecta.

--quotes courtesy of Edison Hatter--

--press release (Yonkers)--