Four 3FT NYSS divisions held at Batavia

Aiken For Clay and local fan favorite Jim Morrill Jr. scored their second straight victory when four divisions of  the $165,920 New York Sire Stakes for 3-year-old trotting fillies invaded Batavia Downs on Wednesday evening.

Aiken For Clay cleared the top at the half and withstood a challenge from defending champion Tessel down the stretch to win in 1:59.2, the fastest Sire Stakes clocking of the evening. The Conway Hall filly is trained by Trond Smedshammer and won in her last outing, a leg of the Sire Stakes at Vernon Downs, also with Morrill at the lines.

“I had to watch her a little in the last turn, she had a little trouble in these tight turns, but she was great tonight and raced right down to the wire,” Morrill said in the winner’s circle. “The other horse wasn’t going to reach her.”

Aiken For Clay is a homebred for Al Libfeld, Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband.

Morrill also steered Angie Blue Chip to victory in 2:00.1. The Credit Winner filly was coming off a winning effort in the New York State Fair at Tioga Downs the previous week and used this win to push her career earnings to $129,419.

“I raced her last week at Tioga and she just gets better with every start,” explained the driver. “She was right on cruise control through the stretch.”

Chuck Connor Jr. trains Angie Blue Chip for Fred Monteleone and Sal Promuto.

Locally grown trainer-driver Ray Schnittker scored a crowd pleasing win with Chippewa Street in 2:00.2. The filly had to move three wide at the three-quarters, but earned her third victory of the year for Schnittker, Steve Demeter and breeder Herb Burns.

“I thought the horse first-over had cleared, but she didn’t quite, so we had to deal with that,” said Schnittker of leaving his second-over cover on the backstretch to travel wide on his way to the top.

Chippewa Street, who came complete with her own cheering section, is named after the well known street in downtown Buffalo that is home to several popular night spots.

Alidade completed a trifecta for sire Credit Winner by scoring in 2:01.2 with driver Brian Mattison. The wire-to-wire victor is trained by co-owner Paul Kelley for Bill Weaver, Jim Winske and Sterlingbrook Farms. (HHBNY)

« Back