Batavia: Gimpanzee coasts, Livinonthedash scores again in NY Sire Stakes

Gimpanzee prepped successfully for next Saturday night's $500,000 Yonkers Trot with a 1:55 1/5 win in the second of two New York Sire Stakes divisions for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters on Saturday night at Batavia Downs. Livinonthedash won the other grouping in 1:58, claiming his third consecutive triumph.

Driven by Brian Sears in the $58,700 race, Gimpanzee got away third but moved into command around Whimzical Chapter (Dan Daley) passing the 29 2/5 opening quarter. Gimpanzee, who was 1-9 while everyone else in the race was 99-1, never faced an anxious moment from there, cruising to a half in 58 1/5 and a three-quarters in 1:27 1/5 on his way to a 4 3/4 length victory. Whimzical Chapter held second, with Captain Krupnik (Jim Morrill Jr.) third.

Marcus Melander trains Gimpanzee, a Chapter Seven colt, for owners Courant Inc. and S R F Stable. Gimpanzee has 13 wins from 15 career starts, with his only defeats his elimination (fourth) and final (third) of the Hambletonian, and he has now put away $895,996. Gimpanzee paid $2.10 to win.

“He is so easy to drive, from day one. Marcus (Melander) has done such a great job with him,” said Sears. “The horse has got a lot of talent and he makes my job easy because he knows what we’re trying to accomplish out there and he doesn’t fight me. He is just a total professional in every way.”

In the other $59,800 section, Winnerup (Sears) was able to overcome post eight to get to the top going to the 28 second opening quarter, but Livinonthedash (Marcus Miller) was out and moving from third, and he would take over the front beyond that marker. Livinonthedash then backed down the half to 58 3/5 and the three-quarters in 1:29, and that led to a 29 second sprint to the wire for the win by a length and a quarter. Winnerup wound up second, and Lucky Weekend (Morrill Jr.) was third after being turned away by the winner from first-over.

“I haven’t had him on the front-end in quite a while, and when I got him there we were able to go a nice, slow middle-half, so it worked out well,” said Miller.

Livinonthedash is a Muscle Mass colt co-owned by trainer Erv Miller along with David Prushnok and Tangie Massey. Livinonthedash, who didn't race as a 2-year-old, has a record of 9-1-2 from 14 appearances as a sophomore, and he has banked $201,272. Sent off as the 1-5 choice, he returned $2.60 to win.

--quotes courtesy of Batavia Downs--