g>Monticello, NY — A total of 52 freshman pacing males will go behind the gate at Monticello Raceway in New York Sire Stakes action on Monday (July 1), with more than $155,000 in purses up for grabs. The eight-race card features four splits of Sire Stakes (each division racing for a purse of $26,500), three Excelsior A races ($15,000 each) and one Excelsior B ($6,700).

In the first NYSS heat (race four), Sandy’s Bolt (Jason Bartlett) will score from post six. The son of Bolt the Duer-White Sand won a NYSS event last start out at Yonkers in 1:56.4. The field also includes Ray Schnittker’s The Mystic (post three). The son of So Surreal-Beachy Lady has a qualifying record of 1:54.2 at The Meadowlands. He made a break in his first Sire Stake event. Mark MacDonald will handle the driving chores.

The next NYSS event (race five) features another Schnittker trainee, Always On The Hunt. The son of (American Ideal–Beachesofcheyenne) will start from the rail with MacDonald in the sulky. He finished second in his Sire Stakes debut at Yonkers. Level Up (Art Major-Apogee Hanover) will start from post position four for trainer Monique Cohen. Jordan Statton will handle the driving assignment.

The third NYSS division (race six on the card), features two colts moving up from Excelsior A company. Major Asset is trained and driven by Mike Simmons. The Art Major-Passionate Beauty colt won his Excelsior A start in 1:56.3 and will start from post four. Sunsetboozecruise (post six) also won an Excelsior A race at Yonkers in 1:57.2. Gareth Dowse trains the son of Roll With Joe-Rideintothesunset and has Jim Morrill Jr. down to drive. Splash Brother (post two), a $30,000 Goshen Yearling Sale purchase and a son of So Surreal-Sugarcoated, finished second in his pari-mutuel debut, also at Yonkers, with MacDonald in the bike.

In the final Sire Stake of the afternoon, slated as race seven, Groovey Joe (Roll With Joe–Chotat Milk) looks for his second consecutive Sire Stakes win. The Blake MacIntosh trainee took a lifetime record of 1:56 in his division of Sire Stakes at Yonkers. He will score from post four, with Matt Kakaley at the helm. Also in the field are I Rolled The Dice (Roll With Joe-Keystone Ivy, post three) with Morrill and Teton Sunset (American Ideal-Gray Ghost) with MacDonald, Teton Sunset finished fourth from the seven hole in his NYSS start at Yonkers.

Levine will start from the rail in a heat of the Excelsior A class. The son of American Ideal–Sangaal is trained by Megan Scran with Rick Zeron in the bike. Levine is owned by wrestling great Ric Flair Stables of Wesley Chapel, Fla.