NYSS & Morrill take Yonkers

August 25, 2007

Jim Morrill, Jr. figured to have a lot to say about the goings-on in Friday night's $285,060 New York Sires Stakes Armand Palatucci Trot at Yonkers Raceway.

He did, though there was another surprising participiant in the conversation.

Morrill drove the minscule mutuel favorite in all three $95,020 divisions. Two cruised, one capsized.

Conway Court trotted the night's fastest Sires Stakes race in the night's final event, traversing the tight turns in 1:58.4. The son of Conway Hall, leaving from post position three, was looped by Ten Speed Kid (Stephane Bouchard) before grabbing the controls.

With divisions of :29.1, :59 and 1:29.1, Conway Court was 2-1/2 lengths to the good turning for home. He won under wraps by 2-3/4 lengths, his sixth victory (and 10th board finish) in a dozen seasonal starts. Contrary (Dan Daley) was a best-of-the-rest second, with Cyber Hall (Howard Okusko, Jr.) along for third.

The 1-5 ($2.50) winner, trained by Larry Remmen for co-owners Paolo Rosanelli and John Siena, led a $4.40 exacta and $18.80 triple. Conway Court, second to Flirtin' Man in his $117,250 Zweig division at Tioga last weekend, is approaching $180,000 in '07 earnings.

Morrill also had minimal discomfort when Hitwiththeladies, last season's frosh divisional champ, won the middle grouping. The son of Giant Hit led every step through fractions of :29.4, :59.4 and 1:30.1 before winning by a trio of lengths in an easy 1:59.2. Rushmore Hanover (Jeff Gregory) and Magic (Tony Mondi) rounded out the board finishers, with the exacta paying $8.30 and the triple worth $36.40.

Hitwiththeladies ($2.50), owned and trained by Allan McCarty, is now 4-for-10 this season with earnings nearing $170,000. He's a solid 12-for-20 in his two racing seasons, the bankroll just under $364,000.

Morrill's adventure was far from excellent in the night's first NYSS event, when divisional leader Bet To Win -- at 1-20 -- jumped it off in the first turn. The son of Credt Winner, with seven consecutive victories (including a Zweig division) to his credit coming in, wound up distanced.

Missile T (Bouchard), a 15-1 proposition, closed up the pylons after yielding to New Hampshire Boy (Ray Schnittker). The former beat the latter -- who led through pit stops of :29.3, 1:00.2 and 1:31 -- by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:59.3. Sand Amory (Greg Grismore), at 34-1, was a first-up third.

Missile T, a son of Master Of Style trained by Ken Ball for owner Molly Rice, returned $33.60 for his fourth win in a dozen '07 efforts. He led a $130 exacta and $909 triple.

"The two I won with (Conway Court and Hitwiththeladies), I never had to ask at all," Morrill said. "(Bet To Win) just never felt good scoring down. I can't say for sure. Maybe it was because he raced five days ago (in the Zweig).

"Conway Court did, too, but he's a better-gaited horse."

As for his choice nearing the $1.2 million New York Night of Champions here, Morrill played the waiting game.

"I've been lucky that they've drawn away from one another," he said. "I really haven't made that decision yet, but I know it's coming." (Yonkers)

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