Batavia Downs: Morrill Jr., Brainard bring out the brooms in New York Sire Stakes
It was the "Morrill Jr. and Brainard Show" in the New York Sire Stakes for sophomore colt pacers on Sunday afternoon at Batavia Downs as driver Jim Morrill Jr. and trainer Tracy Brainard won both divisions with Roll Away Joe and Talk Show.
In the first $59,100 split Roll Away Joe picked up his third straight win, strolling through fractions of 28 4/5, 59, and 1L27 on his way to a 1:55 tally. He defeated Stolen Glimpse (Matt Kakaley) by two lengths, with Craftship (Billy Dobson) back in third.
Morrill said, “It couldn’t have gone any easier. After a half in :59, it would take a pretty good horse to beat him. I just shut him down; it was kind of like a training mile for him.”
Roll Away Joe, a gelding by Roll With Joe, is owned by Howard Taylor, Stephen Demeter, and Thomas Lazzaro. This was his fourth career victory, and he has now earned $184,948. The 1-5 favorite, Roll Away Joe paid $2.40.
The other $60,200 test saw an early battle between Acting Out (Kevin Cummings) and Fine Diamond (Kakaley), with the latter clearing the former past a 27 2/5 opening quarter. Talk Show and Morrill then went on the attack out of third, and he would become the new leader before the 57 second half.
Talk Show would go on to reach three-quarters in 1:25 1/5, keeping a first-over try by Artmagic (Billy Dobson) at bay in the process, and then Talk Show pulled away in the final panel en route to a 5 1/4 length decision in a final time of 1:54 2/5. Artmagic wound up second and Ideal Son (Tyler Buter) checked in third.
“That (first) quarter helped me. I just tried to keep him nice and quiet and those guys mixing it up made it easy for me to do that,” said Morrill. “He had a ton left in the tank at the end of the mile; I shut him right down to a walk.”
A gelded son of Art Major, Talk Show is owned by Talk Show Partners LLC., Bradley Grant, and Howard Taylor. Talk Show posted the fifth victory of his life, and he has now banked $160,606. Racing as part of a 2-5 favored entry with Ideal Son, Talk Show returned $2.90 to win.
--quotes courtesy of Batavia Downs--