Banishing wins Jeff Hall Memorial for second straight year
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Between them, Banishing and Here Mi Song have won the last four editions of the $175,000 Jeff Hall Memorial. In Saturday’s renewal, it was Banishing’s turn, as he outdueled Here Mi Song and then held off Dreaminblue for a length victory in the feature for older sprinters at Ellis Park.
Banishing was ridden by the red-hot Francisco Arrieta, who rode six winners on Saturday.
Banishing and Here Mi Song, with Edgar Morales in the irons, were both in the first flight of horses down the backstretch, and began to separate themselves and make a race of it coming toward the head of the stretch, through a half-mile in 44.87 seconds on the track rated fast. Grade 3-winning millionaire Here Mi Song, the 2023 and 2024 Hall Memorial winner who was starting in this race for the fifth consecutive year, held a head advantage into the stretch, and hung in gamely despite running on the left lead down the stretch.
But defending race winner Banishing got his measure and started to stretch away, then held off Dreaminblue. Here Mi Song was another three-quarters of a length back in third for a solid effort in his first start since October.
The time for the 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:16.52.
Banishing ($4.62) pushed his earnings past $3 million while winning for the 11th time from his 31 career starts. Last year was his best season, as he won the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic and Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile along with the Hall Memorial. His five other stakes placings included a second by a neck to Mindframe in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs in a blanket finish in a very strong field, finishing in a dead heat with Nysos, a head in front of Book’em Danno in fourth.
This year, Banishing, trained by David Jacobson, won the Group 2 Godolphin Mile. However, in his return to the U.S. in the Churchill Downs in May, he bore out badly on the far turn and wound up being eased in upper stretch, although he was unscathed, jogging back and walking off under his own power. He was back on the work tab less than three weeks later, and has now returned in good order from that puzzling effort.
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