Jim Morrill Jr. tied the record for most consecutive winning drives on a single card when he went 8-for-8
at Tioga Downs on July 18. Morrill joined Stephane Bouchard (March 8, 2003 at Yonkers Raceway) and Brad Kramer (July 20, 2005 at Gladwin, Michigan) as the only drivers to win eight drives in a row. Five of Morrill's victories came in divisions of the Tompkins-Geers stakes.
"It was like pitching a no-hitter, that's what it was like," Morrill said. "I was aware of what was going on after the sixth one. I thought, 'I only have a couple left and I've got a shot to win every one that I'm in.' I had a lot of good horses and I was driving for all the top trainers. That's always a big plus. Every horse, I thought I had a shot to win. It was a good feeling. I'm usually about the money, but in this case it was a good feeling; probably better than even winning a $300,000 race. It's never happened to me before and it probably will never happen again."
Of course, even with a powerful lineup, a driver still needs good fortune.
"Sometimes you'll look at the program and think you have five or six winners, and you'll come out with two," Morrill said. "There are a million things that can go wrong. Everything has to be clicking on all cylinders."
Over the last two weeks, Morrill has notched 19 Grand Circuit stakes wins.
"When you're doing well," Morrill said, "it carries over."
(Harness Racing Communications)