Lukas Hall converted a pocket trip into a 1:55 track record victory during the second division of Thursday night’s $106,124 New York Sires Stakes feature for two-year-old male trotters at Vernon Downs.
With Jeff Gregory doing the teaming for trainer Kevin Mc Dermott in Thursday’s $52,562 tenth race, Lukas Hall drafted along in second place behind the mile-cutting favourite Crazzycrazzy until the stretch drive, where he came on in a :29-second final quarter to post a career-best win-clocking, that lowered the former Vernon standard for freshman colt trotters by two fifths of a second. The previous mark had been established by Manofmanymissions in 2010.
It was the second win (coupled with a pair of third-place finishes) in five starts for the quick-striding bay son of Conway Hall-Goddess Of War, who is owned by former New York Jets standout Wayne Chrebet and Jeff Gural’s Little E LLC stable. Two NYSS wins in succession have raised the capable colt’s career earnings to $62,881.
Thursday’s other NYSS divisional winner was Daley Lovin, who also came from behind to record a career-best 1:56.3 victory in the $53,562 sixth race. Trainer Dan Daley drove the homebred son of Conway Hall-Dreamsrmadeofthis for his wife Ann-Mari Daley and JLRL LLC. It was the first score (coupled with two third-place tallies) in four outings for the lifetime winner of $41,429.
With noted NYSS pilot Jim Morrill, Jr. handling the lines in race four, a division of Thursday’s $63,900 Excelsior Series for NY-bred freshman male members of the diagonal gait, JS Trotting Bob became Vernon’s fastest two-year-old trotting gelding of 2013 after posting a 1:56.3 victory in the fourth race, that was just one second off the track’s 60-year standard for his category. It marked the fourth tally in five starts for the bay son of Cr Excalibur-Cr Mimosa, who is trained by Arnie Marks and owned by the KJ LLC Stables.
Thursday’s other Excelsior series winners were Wild And Crazy Guy (Crazed-My Babys Momma) in 1:57.2, Cash Me Out (Cash Hall-China Victory) in 1:57.4), Winbak Glory (Malabar Man-Mink’s Glory) in 1:59.2 and General Bill Brown (Crazed-Dusty Girl) in 1:59.3.
Thursday’s swiftest score was a career-best 1:50.3 victory for Lets Go Higher in the $10,000 seventh race, the week’s Open contest for female pacers. Morrill, Jr., who collected three wins during the evening’s 13-race card, did the steering for trainer Heidi Rohr and owner Jesse J. De Long.
(Vernon Downs)