Sons of Conway Hall swept the four New York Sire Stakes splits for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters on Friday at Yonkers Raceway.
The total purse for the four divisions was $236,883.
Four Starz Speed (Stephane Bouchard, $6.40) walked around the oval in the first ($59,770) division for a fourth consecutive victory. He easily held Holiday Credit (Jim Morrill Jr.) at bay in a flat 2:00. The gelding, owned by Four Starz Stable and trained by Michael Latham, prevailed by two and a half lengths.
Odds-on-choice Big Apple Deli (Bouchard, $2.40) went the distance in the second ($58,670) event, beating The Pres (Dan Daley) by a neck in 1:58.2. The colt, owned by Lon Frocione and trained by John Simpson Jr., has won half of his dozen seasonal starts.
Velocity Hall – chauffeured by leading driver Jason Bartlett – was able to get his first seasonal victory in the third ($59,770) NYSS grouping, which included the likes of Make it Happen (Ray Schnittker, fourth at 3-5) and Ace High Hall (Dan Dube, fifth at 5-2).
Velocity Hall, a colt co-owned by Thomas Dillon and Walter Hight and trained by Jonas Czernyson, was 0-for-10 coming in. He returned $15.20, defeating 41-1 outsider Crownprince Volo (Brian Cross) by two and a quarter lengths.
The final ($58,670) Sire Stakes event offered a chance for the understudies when probable favourite General Royal – who had won his last three races – came up ill. Sir Prize Hall (Howard Okusko Jr., $4.80), accorded the role of new fan favourite, outdrew his rivals and made them pay. He defeated My Cool Breeze (Bartlett) by a length and a half in 1:59.4.
Jessica Okusko trains for Purple Haze Stables as Sir Prize Hall won his fourth race in 14 2008 tries.
Friday night's pair of $40,000 Open Handicaps – for trotters and distaff pacers – went to San Remo Kosmos (Greg Grismore, $4.10) in 1:56.3 and Parkontheroad (Jim Pantaleano, $7.80) in 1:53.3.
(Yonkers)