Crowd wagering choice Win Missy B lived up to her sterling reputation and snapped a string of three straight second-place finishes with a dominating 1:54.4 victory in the fastest of three divisions of Saturday night’s $130,430 New York Sire Stakes feature for three-year-old trotting fillies at Vernon Downs.
Fresh off her runner-up finish in the $714,050 Hambletonian Oaks final at The Meadowlands on Aug. 4, Win Missy B relaxed behind the pacesetting Lima Playmate for half of Saturday’s third race, then took charge on the backstretch and powered home in a :28.4 final quarter to win by more than nine lengths.
Saturday’s score marked the third victory this season and the 11th overall for the talented bay daughter of Conway Hall-Winning Missbrenda, who bumped her career earnings to more than $1,121,100. Trainer Charlie Norris did the teaming for owner Robert J. Key. Her time was just four-fifths of a second off the track record for this class that was set by For A Dancer on June 8.
Saturday’s other regular NYSS wins were recorded by Starglow Hall, who captured the evening’s first race with a bold-striding, personal-best 1:55.2 effort, and Anandamide, who upset the favourite, For A Dancer, with a career-best 1:55.4 triumph in Saturday’s sixth session.
The win was the second season’s score for Starglow Hall (Conway Hall-Smilin Matty), who was handled by Jim Morrill Jr. Trainer Chris Ryder shares ownership of the bay filly along with Terry and Clarence Devos.
Anandamide (Credit Winner-Psychotherapist) turned a pocket trip into her fourth triumph in six starts with Morrill Jr. doing the steering for trainer Anette Lorentzon and the ACL Stuteri Ab ownership contingent.
Saturday’s slate also included five divisions of a $64,500 NYSS-sponsored Excelsior Series contest for state-bred sophomore distaffers on the diagonal gait. The first-place finishers were Moonglow (Credit Winner-Glow) in 1:57 for driver Stephane Bouchard, trainer Frank Antonacci and the Fred Monteleone Stable; Pretend To Be Nice (Conway Hall-Sloppy Kisses) in 1:57.1 for driver Bouchard, trainer Fred Grant and owners Janice Rubin, Mary Katz, Darla Gaskin and Dr. Domenic Catton; Linda B (Equinox Bi-Linda Muscles) in 1:57.3 with Morrill Jr. sitting in for trainer Bruce Aldrich and owner Woody Hoblitzell; Latte Hall (Conway Hall-Lisa’s Mission) in 1:58 with trainer Jim Raymer handling the lines for the Harbor Racing Stable, and Psycho Babe (Sand Vic-Dusty Girl) in 1:58.2 with Vernon’s leading driver Rick Plano doing the teaming for trainer Ron Abbott and owners Edward Reich and Irwin Lampert.
One More Laugh front-ended his way to a decisive 1:50.3 victory in the week’s $11,000 Open Pace with trainer/part-owner Ray Schnittker steering for his partners, the Creative Racing Stable and the J&TSilva Stables in Saturday’s ninth race.
Driver Morrill, Jr. posted four wins during the program and nine for the four-night week, while Plano picked up his meet-leading 85th victory, his ninth triple and ran his lifetime win total to 5,998. Bouchard was also credited with a pair of first-place finishes during the track’s 52nd program.
(Vernon Downs)