Classy, 2-and 3-year-old New York-breds will be featured in four stakes events on Monday afternoon at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack (FLGR).
The co-features are the $104,338 Aspirant Stakes for 2-year-old males (race eight) and the $116,528 Lady Finger Stakes for 2-year-old fillies (race seven), both to be contested at 5 1/2 furlongs.
Earlier in the card the spotlight will shine on 3-year-old fillies in the $50,000 Niagara Stakes (third race) and 3-year-old colts and geldings in the $50,000 Ontario County Stakes (race four). Both will be run at six furlongs.
In the day's richest race, the Lady Finger, Oriole Way is the lukewarm 5/2 morning line favorite. The Rock Your World filly was $46,000 purchase at the Fasig Tipton 2025 February digital sale.
She broke her maiden at first asking against open company maidens at Monmouth Park, then shipped to Saratoga to finish second in the NY-bred Seeking the Ante Stakes. Regular rider Eliseo Ruiz will be back in the irons for trainer Felix Flores-Coba.
Oh, the William Butler homebred Honest Mischief filly, is the 3-1 second choice. Trained by Mike Maker, Oh overcame trouble at the start in her only career race to win at odds of 8-1 at Saratoga under Manny Franco on Aug. 28.
She stalked the early pace, opened up by 4 ½ lengths before comfortably holding sway. Ricardo Santana will ride on Monday.
Maker will send out the morning line favorite in the Aspirant, Arctic Beast. A $275,000 purchase at the Fasig Tipton Saratoga New York Bred yearling sale, Arctic Beast is a son of red-hot sire Yaupon. He overcame a wide trip to win his career debut at Saratoga by a nose in a quick 1:10.4 on Aug. 15. Santana will be aboard.
Maker is no stranger to winning at Finger Lakes. He has won three stakes at FLGR, including the $218,075 New York Breeders' Futurity in 2020 with Blue Gator.
Arctic Beast figures to be tested by Party in the Army. The Jeremiah Englehart-trained colt will have the services of jockey Dylan Davis, who guided the son of Army Mule to a runner-up finish on Aug. 29 at Saratoga in his only race.
Englehart began his training career at Finger Lakes and certainly needs no introduction to the Ross Morton winner circle.
In the Niagara, local filly Zi End will face competitors of her own age after being overmatched against older in the Arctic Queen Stakes. The Debra-Breed-runner is listed as the 2-1 favorite for the Niagara Stakes. Zi End is seeking her first career stakes win.
The homebred filly by Weekend Hideaway didn't start her career until May 26 but has been terrific, winning five of seven races while bankrolling $90,650 for owners Debra and Kariann Breed. Joel Cruz will be aboard for the fifth consecutive time.
Hit the Post will look to score in the Ontario County for trainer Melanie Giddings. The son of Kantharos is coming off a pair of runner-up finishes, at Finger Lakes on July 14 in the $156,000 New York Derby and at Saratoga on Aug. 21 in the $194,000 Albany stakes.
Hit the Post, who cuts back to one turn, will again have the services of jockey Christopher Elliott.
The nine-race Monday card will kick off with a 1 p.m. first-race post time.
Monday's complimentary Equibase program can be found at: https://www.equibase.com/content/CustomPPs/FingerLakes/FingerLakes0922.pdf
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