The intermittent rain showers on Thursday afternoon, August
21 didn’t deter Market Rally and Avalicious from their main objectives as each
won their respective $60,200 divisions of 3-year-old trotting fillies in New
York Sire Stakes at Monticello Raceway. Both fillies, from the powerful
Ron Burke stable, were driven to victory by Jimmy Morrill, Jr..
The two trotting events were the last of the NYSS
preliminary legs prior to the top point earners in the summer-long series
convening at Yonkers Raceway on September 13 to compete in their $225,000
Division Final.
With her victory in a time of 1:57.3 Market Rally finished
with 325 points which will undoubtedly make her the favorite in her rich NYSS
finale. Avalicious, on the other hand, was victorious in 1:57.4 and
finished with 175 points as second best.
There’s no argument that Market Rally has been the best NYSS
sophomore trotting filly this year and her 9-length victory over Gammy’s Girl
(Mark MacDonald) and Cutup Hanover (Jeff Gregory) only emphasized it.
With her triumph on Thursday the daughter of Cash
Hall-Supreme Dish has run her seasonal bankroll to over $262,000 on the
strength of six wins and one second in nine starts.
Sent off the1-9 favorite from the pole position Morrill
hustled Market Rally to the lead as Gates Brunet and Driving Miss Crazy left
strong from the six hole. The two fillies were wide open on the first turn but
unfortunately for Driving Miss Crazy’s connections she went off-stride and
Market Rally was alone on the front-end when she tripped the first quarter
timer in :28.2
Two lengths in front as she passed the half in :57 Morrill
was looking to give his filly a breather. When she passed the third stanza in
1:27 Market Rally had a five length lead which she opened to nine at the wire.
“We were getting out of there pretty quickly and I got my
filly wound up, and because of that we got to the half faster than I wanted
to, “Morrill related. But from there she was on cruise-control the rest
of the way.”
Owned by the Burke Stable, Weaver-Buscemi, Our Cents Stable
and the Panhellenic Stable, Market rally paid $2.30 for win.
In the other NYSS split Morrill eased Avalicious away from
the gate slowly and at the first quarter they were in sixth position, some nine
lengths off the leader.
Morrill bided his time in the early going and at the
half he moved the filly out behind cover and it up the backside and into the final
turn before he gave Avalicious her head. And when he did the
daughter of RC Royalty-Say Your Prayers rallied to a three length victory, her
fifth of the year.
Asked why Avalious was four, or so, lengths off the gate at
the start of the race Morrill explained; “I wanted to ease her away so she’d
stay trotting. She gets a little anxious behind the gate but once she
gets away (on the trot) she’s usually steady the rest of the mile.”
Avalicious, owned by M.C. Crawford, A.C. Crawford and
P.D. Crawford, was sent off as the 3-10 betting favorite and returned a $2.60
win mutuel.
Three Excelsior Series trots bolstered the undercard with
the locally owned Dreamsteeler the most impressive.
(Local) owner Andy Herzog was on hand to watch his
Cash Hall-Dream Street filly maul her competition with Jimmy Morrill, Jr. at
the lines. It was Dreamsteeler’s seventh win in eight seasonal starts
after going 10 for 10 last year.
Sent off five cents on a dollar, Dreamsteeler was victorious
in a time of 2:01 and paid $2.10 for win.
After the photo was taken in the winners circle Herzog was
asked why Dreamsteeler doesn’t race in the sire stakes. “I bought her in
mid-June and she wasn’t eligible to them (the NYSS), only to the Excelsior
Series. But she’s already won my money back and I got a pretty nice filly
trotter to boot.”
Other Excelsior winners were Ski To The Max (Gates Brunet)
in 2:02.1 and Slice Slice Baby (Charlei Norris) in 2:00.2.
