Yonkers Raceway Thursday night played host to the statebreds, with the $289,775 New York Sire Stakes Jim Meagher Pace for two-year-old colts and geldings.
Odds-on speed freak Hes Watching (Jim Morrill, Jr., $2.50) watched his manners in the final ($97,725) event - and, has been the case, his rivals watched him.
Unhurried and wide into the first turn from post position six, the 1-4 choice was looped by Sheppard Pace winner Forty Five Red (Yannick Gingras). Hes Watching then methodically marched to the lead, securing it right at the :28.3 opening quarter-mile. He found an identical :28.3 second quarter (:57.1 half), and what figured to be a match race did indeed take shape.
Hes Watching and Forty Five Red had the floor to themselves at the 1:25.3 three-quarters, with former taking a length-and-a-half lead into the lane. That would be a close as Forty Five Red would get, as Hes Watching widened as he wished. The final margin was 5-1/2 lengths in 1:54.2. Third - beaten 11 lengths - was Hardts Or Bettor (George Brennan).
Hes Watching, a world record-holding son of American Ideal co-owned by trainer Dave Menary, Brad Gray and Michael Guerriero, is a perfect 4-for-4 - all in the NYSS - this season. The $3,000 yearling purchase has banked $104,653 to date.
"Honestly, I couldn't have gone any slower," Morrill said. "We're going to find out more about him in the (Sept. 28 sire stakes) final."
Prohibitive fave Stay Up Late (Dave Miller, $2.50) - from the pole - was a confident winner in the first ($96,025) event. Moving from third, he engaged leading Bakersfield (Gingras) going by the three-quarters, then put him away early in the lane.
Stay Up Late whipped a pocket-sitting Archetto Hanover (Marcus Miller) by three-quarters of a length in 1:55. Sir Sams Z Tam (Pat Lachance) and Keystone Honor (Brennan) rounded out the ticket for wagering purposes.
Stay Up Late, a son of Artiscape trained by Casie Coleman for co-owners West Wins Stable and Christine Calhoun, is now 2-for-4 this season.
Trainer Coleman doubled her fun in the second ($96,025) division as Design Guru (Brennan, $5.60) was a handy winner.
Nose on the gate from post three, he was untested en route to a lifetime-best - and night’s fastest – effort of 1:54.1. The job of the second choice was simplified when 7-5 choice Thereisapaceforus (Gingras) broke in the first turn. That one did recover, but was never a factor. The margin was 4-1/2 lengths, with Big Boy Dreams (Morrill, Jr.) winning the scrum for second over a first-up Neat (Marcus Miller).
Design Guru, an Artiscape gelding owned by Jeff Snyder, has a pair of wins in seven starts.
(Yonkers Raceway)