A four-pack of $12,000 New York Sire Stakes late-closer dashes for two-year-old pacing colts was contested Wednesday, September 28 over an off-track at Monticello Raceway
.
Driver William 'Zeke' Parker won the first split with the Steve Elliot-trained Ideal Griff in 2:00.4. The race was marred by a spectacular wreck.
After the youngsters paced into the first turn, Legal Dream (driven by Sean McAllese) made a break and jumped sideways right into the bulk of the racing field. McAllese was unseated. Two horses went down; one of which unseated its driver and ran loose for a half-mile. Driver Howard Okusko hit the track, but instinctively rolled to the infield and out of the path of the horses.
McAllese was shaken up badly and transported to the local hospital. Okusko walked back to the paddock leading his horse and appeared to be bruised on his left side. Driver Stephane Bouchard was also unseated, however none of the injuries were life-threatening and none of the horses involved were seriously hurt.
Though Parker escaped trouble with Ideal Griff, he was dumped out of the sulky in Race 8, the final NYSS division. 'Zeke' hit the track when his mount, U Belong To Me, made a break in the clubhouse turn the second time around. U Belong To Me ran sideways into Chips Galore (Jimmy Taggart, Jr.). Parker was catapulted to the track, but got up quickly and grabbed his horse even though he appeared to be limping a bit. Parker was taken off the rest of his mounts for the afternoon, but Monticello's publicity department reported that he was only shaken-up. Taggart wasn’t unseated and drove in other races on the remainder of the program
Artillery Major (2:00.3), Union Man Hanover (1:58) and Wright Road (1:59.4) captured the other NYSS splits.
(With files from Monticello)