Gimpanzee was everything the large live crowd that gathered on the Batavia Downs apron came out to see as he cruised to an easy win in his division of Saturday’s $118,500 New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings.
Gimpanzee (Brian Sears) got away third initially while Whimzical Chapter (Dan Daley) hustled to the front. But just past the eighth pole Sears pulled him and rushed to the front to claim the lead by the quarter in a pedestrian :29.2. Now firmly in control, the 1-9 shot led six 99-1 shots to the half in :58.1 and the three-quarters in 1:27.1.
Gimpanzee seemed to switch gears on his own heading into the final turn as Sears sat still as a statue. Motoring around that bend he extended his lead with every lengthening stride and by the time he entered the stretch, he was gone. Gimpanzee opened up five and was in full flight down the lane and hit the wire all alone in 1:55.1.
“He is so easy to drive, from day one. Marcus (Melander) has done such a great job with him,” said Sears. “The horse has got a lot of talent and he makes my job easy because he knows what we’re trying to accomplish out there and he doesn’t fight me. He is just a total professional in every way.”
It was the 13th lifetime win in only 15 lifetime starts for Gimpanzee ($2.10) who moves closer to the million dollar mark, now with earnings of $895,996 on his card. The Dan Patch Award winning son of Chapter Seven-Steamy Windows is owned by Courant Inc and S R F Stable. Marcus Melander is the trainer.
In the other $59,800 NYSS split, Livinonthedash (Muscle Mass-Sunshine Glide) won handily after rationing out the speed in the middle panels. Livinonthedash (Marcus Miller) out-muscled Winnerup (Brian Sears) for the lead at the quarter in :28 and then led the group for the remainder of the race.
Miller quickly put the breaks on from there and went the next two quarters in :30.3 and :30.2, getting to the three-quarters in 1:29. There, Lucky Weekend (Jim Morrill Jr.) had caught the leader and was trotting alongside around the final turn. But that would be as close as he would get as Miller gave Livinonthedash his head and he trotted away without urging to win by 1-¼ lengths in 1:58.
“I haven’t had him on the front end in quite a while and when I got him there we were able to go a nice slow middle half so it worked out well,” said Miller.
It was the third win in a row, fifth out of his last six and ninth of the year for Livinonthedash ($2.60) who has now amassed $201,272 for his owners the Ervin Miller Stable, David Prushnok and Tangle Massey. Erv Miller is the trainer.
Both Gimpanzee and Livinonthedash will compete in the $500,000 Yonkers Trot next Saturday (Aug. 31) and then will return to Batavia Downs on Saturday (Sept. 14) for the $1.8 million New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions.
(With files from Batavia Downs)