Perfect summer weather and a lighting fast track greeted the glamour division of the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) on Sunday afternoon (July 30) as the three-year-old colt and gelding pacers invaded Batavia Downs to compete for a total of $119,000 in purses.
In the first $39,900 division, In A Single Bound was peerless as he pulled away to an easy victory.
In A Single Bound (Billy Dobson) yielded the lead to Ideal Wheel (Jim Morrill Jr.) for about an eighth of a mile before retaking command at the quarter, and from there the race was effectively over. In A Single Bound paced strong on the lead that he would increase as the race progressed.
When they hit the three-quarters in 1:24.1, Dobson gave his charge a tap to let him know the race wasn’t officially over and In A Single Bound responded like Superman, opening up 10 around the last turn before flying home to a six-length advantage in 1:52.3.
“He raced well, he went pretty good," said Dobson. "He kind of pulled up on the backside when he was by himself but he took back off when I asked him so that’s good. He’s eligible to the Empire Breeders Classic and it’ll be nice to see what he can do against those kind of horses."
The win was the seventh of the year for In A Single Bound ($2.40) and fourth in NYSS action. The three-year-old gelded son of Roll With Joe out of Armbro Bianca is owned by Dennis and Simone Noud, and is trained by Monica Krist.
In the second $39,200 split, Chip Walther held off a late challenge to win his second of the year.
Chip Walther (Marcus Miller) left and dropped in the two-hole behind Octane Blue Chip (Corey Callahan) but then changed his mind and decided to take the lead. Having accomplished that by the quarter, Miller then led the field to the half in :56.3.
As they motored up the backside, Serious Major (Jim Morrill Jr.) pulled first-over and paced up alongside the leader and put his head in front as they hit the last turn. But Chip Walther turned away that challenge before digging in down the lane to hold off all comers and win by a length in 1:53.1.
“He went good, that was a good mile," said Miller. "He’s a little lazy; he didn’t used to be like that last year but I think that’s okay because when you do ask him to go, he does go on."
The win was the second straight on the year for Chip Walther ($4.50), both of which were in NYSS action. The three-year-old son of Art Major out of Bittorsweet Terror is owned by the Ervin Miller Stable, Paymaq Racing, the Nick Surick Stable LLC and Louis Willinger, and is trained by Erv Miller.
In the final $39,900 division, Funknwaffles showed his dominance with an open-length victory.
Funknwaffles (Corey Callahan) dropped in fourth off the gate and was soon third after avoiding a breaking Americas Fleet (Kevin Cummings), who then regained pace and hung outside the favourite. Not wanting anymore road trouble, Callahan quickly pulled Funknwaffles and put him on the lead by the three-eighths, where he would then proceed to destroy the field.
Callahan kept Funknwaffles in tight rein for the next quarter, stringing out horses behind him. When they hit the five-eighths, he shook the lines once and the party was over. Funknwaffles opened up an immediate three-length lead and really started to pace. Under a line drive with Callahan sitting in the easy chair, Funknwaffles rounded the final turn and paced away to a seven-length victory down the lane, crossing the wire wrapped-up like a birthday present in 1:53.2.
“He’s such a good little horse, he’s like a little sports car," said Callahan. "He’s real handy; you can do whatever you want. I think he’s better chasing horses but I didn’t want to take a chance of getting pinned in there so I moved him to the lead and he did everything from there."
The win was the fourth of the year for Funknwaffles ($2.50), all four of which were in NYSS races. The three-year-old gelded son of American Ideal out of Hatsoff Hanover is owned by Crawford Farms Racing and trained by John Butenschoen.
(With files from Batavia Downs)