Buffalo Raceway co-features belong to Morrill

HAMBURG, N.Y. — The distaff pacers took center stage at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday afternoon (May 3) and it was harness racing driver Jim Morrill Jr. who used two different ploys to share the spotlight in both featured events.

Miss Rockadali (Dali-Southern Rock)was first to the winner’s circle as Morrill Jr. guided her to a 1-1/2 length victory in the $15,500 Open Pace. He then maneuvered the never say die Isla Seelster to a neck win in the $11,500 Open II Pace.

It was Miss Rockadali ($2.90) who stomped out the fractions in the race. After watching Bank The Win briefly take control, Miss Rockadali wanted no part of the pocket journey and recaptured the lead hitting the quarter pole in :29.0 over the fast track.

With fractions of :58.1 and 1:26.3 now on the board, Miss Rockadali was was ready to face the challenges of Bank The Win (David McNeight III) and Filly Speaks (Kyle Cummings) who were the only two left in contention hitting the top of the stretch. But Miss Rockadali never wavered in the lane and posted the victory in 1:55.. Bank The Win took the place position with Filly Speaks finishing in third.

Owned by Team Italia Racing Stable and Lisette Mota and trained by Russell Bratt, it was the fourth win in 12 tries for the 8-year-old Miss Rockadali. The victory pushed her seasonal earnings to $40,981 and $262,045 lifetime.

While Morrill Jr. had an easy time of it with Miss Rockadali, things were a lot tougher aboard Isla Seelster (Sunshine Beach-Imagine Semalu).

At the start, Isla Seelster was three wide approaching the opening panel as A Black Diamond and Chipper Daisy played some hard ball. But a huge hole opened up for Isla Seelster and she took that seat briefly.

Hitting the half in :57.0, the outer flow began and Isla Seelster managed to get out in time and became first over. That move was key as Isla Seelster hounded A Black Diamond (Kevin Cummings) the rest of the way and eventually caught the pace setter in the shadow of the wire. Isla Seelster took the neck victory in 1:56.3 while A Black Diamond was second and Xenia’s Chip (Ray Fisher Jr.) rolled in for third.

Owned by Delpozo Swartz Paoleti LLC and trained by Christopher Petrelli, it was the fourth win of the year in 14 attempts for the 6-year-old Isla Seelster. Her seasonal bankroll increased to $27,963 and $68,384 lifetime.

Morrill Jr. completed the card with a triple while Mitchell Cushing posted a double. Petrelli had a pair of training victories.

Racing will resume on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with a 12-race card set. Also, there’s a 12-race program slated for Saturday with a special 2:30 p.m. post time to accommodate the running of the Kentucky Derby.

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by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway