Banishing noses Booth in Jeff Hall Memorial
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Banishing needed every inch of the Ellis Park homestretch to get up by a nose over Booth in the $150,000 Jeff Hall Memorial Stakes on Sunday.
Even then, it did not look in live action like Banishing had gotten his nose down, but a favorable head bob gave Banishing his sixth win from 11 starts since trainer David Jacobson and his partner Lawrence Roman bought the gelding at auction last summer. Banishing has five second-place finishes during that span and after banking another $90,000 Sunday has earned just shy of $1 million during 2025 alone.
He worked for his money in the Jeff Hall, a 6 1/2-furlong dirt sprint probably shorter than ideal for Banishing, who raced competitive in the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap earlier this year.
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione kept Banishing just a length or two off the pace set by Champlin and Booth, who set splits of 22.08 and 44.85. But at the quarter pole, wheeling into the homestretch, Gaffalione, who’d positioned Banishing between rivals going to the half-mile pole and around the turn, found his path blocked by the two pacesetters and wide-rallying Here Mi Song. Gaffalione steered right, and to get into the clear had to take his mount some six paths off the rail. By the time Banishing straightened up, Booth had shrugged off the other speed and opened up by a couple lengths – which was not quite enough.
Banishing, galloping out far in front, was timed in 1:14.97 over a fast track and paid $3.74 as the heavy favorite. Booth, rebounding nicely from a subpar showing in the Kelly’s Landing on June 28 at Churchill, finished 1 1/2 lengths clear of third-place Here Mi Song, who looked like he had no interest in racing his first three starts this season, but bounced back to form in a race he’d won in 2023 and 2024.
Bred by Godolphin, Banishing is a 5-year-old son of Ghostzapper and Dowager, by A.P. Indy. He’s proved one of the great claims of recent vintage – and proved just good enough Sunday in the Jeff Hall.
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