For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Jim Morrill Jr. wins 5 in NYSS Action at Monticello

By Shawn F. Wiles

It comes as no surprise that Jim Morrill Jr. continues to dominate the NYSS, much like Wally Hennessy and Jeff Gregory have done on the past, this afternoon at Monticello Raceway, Jim Morrill Jr won 5 of the 8 New York Sire Stakes Races.  Blue Chip Farms Stallion, Roll With Joe had 4 sons enter the winners circle for the afternoon.

In the first race, local favorite KJ Erich was well in hand for driver Jim Taggart Jr. as he won by 6 lengths in 1:59:1 for co-owner and trainer Gary Messenger.  In the 2nd  Division of the Excelsior’s A’s, is was the grey son of Roll With Joe, White Rolls scoring a wire to wire victory for Tracy Brainard, giving Morrill his first win of the afternoon

Race 4 was the 1st division of Sire Stakes, this race had 3 lead changes before the ½,  Roll With Fred had the lead going to the ¼ pole before the antsy Fine Diamond made his move to take the lead, Jim Morrill Jr was wrangling with Carlos Danger trying to keep him in the hole. Roll with Fred came right back to retake the lead, flowing live cover was Carlos Danger. Carlos Danger cleared and stayed there the rest of the way, taking them past the ¾ in 1:29:0, Fine Diamond made a weak attempt to challenge the leaders but his challenge stalled in the paddock turn. It appeared that Morrill was home free, but Brett Miller had Roll With Fred in high gear in deep stretch, to nip Carlos Danger by a head in 1:58:3

Tim Lanpher’s One Summer Chance was the winner of race 5 Excelsior B in 2:01:3. In the other Excelsior B action in the 8th race. Zac and Forth broke his maiden in impressive fashion for trainer Thomas Merton and owner Gary Haas, winning in 1:59:4.

2nd division of the NYSS, saw the heavy favorite Autotune Hanover work hard for the lead, only to go off stride coming out of the 1st turn. Skip Jive was in the 2 hole when the favorite broke and inherited the lead.  He stayed there and won by 3 in 1:57:1 for Trainer Paul Kelly and driver Mark McDonald.

The most impressive individual performance of the day came in Race 13, last heat of the NYSS, Joe Larry N Curly shot out of the gate and carried the field thru fractions of 28:, 59:0 & 1:28:3, in the paddock turn HudsonandBernard made his move, but was quickly dispatch as Morrill let mount out a notch and quickly dispatched his completion.  Joe Larry N Curly was well in hand to win by 3 lengths in 1:56:3, the fastest race of the day, last ¼ in 28.0. Joe Larry N Curly, a colt by Roll With Joe is trained by Mark Harder.  In the winner’s circle Jim Morrill, a man of few words, said “He is the real deal” This win gave Jimmy, Morrill his 5th win on the afternoon.  Total handle for the 13 race card was $602,921.

Monticello Raceway is racing Mon – Fri this week, with a special Fireworks night card on Friday July 3, featuring more Sire Stake action when 2 Year Old Trotting Colts come to town.