Fast miles were the rule on Sunday (May 29) evening at Tioga Downs, as all nine races resulted in lifetime marks over the Jason Bluhm-conditioned five-eighth-mile course. Among those lifetime marks was a track record effort from Dayson ($3.40), who sprinted away from a collapsing pace in his $62,400 New York Sire Stakes event.
Dayson, a three-year-old Conway Hall gelding, sat second-over off duelling leaders Dante (Oskar Florhed) and Free Willy Hanover (Trond Smedshammer) through fractions of :28, :56, and 1:24. As Free Willy Hanover's valiant first-over attempt started to fade on the far turn, Jim Morrill Jr. angled Dayson three-wide on the far turn, and the response was instant. Dayson vaulted clear to an eight and a half length victory over Allerage Echo (Jim Marohn Jr.), who rallied into his runner-up position from a third-over trip. Joyful (Mike Simons) gained late into third from well off the pace, while a softened Dante faded to fourth.
Dayson's 1:52.2 triumph was his ninth in 11 career starts, and shaved four-fifths of a second off Datsyuk's prior track record for three-year-old trotting geldings. The Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stables, Silva Stables, and Rossie Smith own Dayson.
In the other New York Sire Stakes event, Sir Royson ($4.10) brushed to the fore with a circuit to go, turning aside pocket rival Smalltownthrowdown (Dan Daley) and holding off a late charge from 69-1 outsider The Royal Harry (Florhed) for a 1:54 victory, the fifth of his career. Linda Toscano trains the three-year-old Crazed colt for R-and-I Farms LLC.
For driver Jim Marohn Jr. the win with Sir Royson was one of five on the night. "The Mighty Mite Part Two" also teamed up with Dees Rocketman ($4.60, 1:52.1), Just For Today ($12.00, 1:56.2), Katch Kanna ($6.30, 1:57.1), and Moneydontbuyulove ($8.40, 1:56.4).
The night's sub-featured $25,200 Nichols True Value late-closing series final saw Erv Miller trainee Fresh Cut ($5.90) pounce from second-over off a contested pace, duelling on the far turn with the first-over Century Chancellor (Simons) to just prevail in 1:53.1. Morrill was aboard the three-year-old American Ideal colt for the Bay Pond Racing Stable.
The 50-cent Pick 5 carries over to Monday (May 30) afternoon's card, with $772.79 of added money heading into the opening-race wager. First post for the nine-race Memorial Day card is slated for 1:30 p.m. Eastern.
(Tioga Downs)