‘Daley’ double with Sig Sauer, Buy A Round in NJSS frosh trot finals

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Trainer Noel Daley delivered both winners, Sig Sauer and Buy A Round, in the pair of $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Finals for 2-year-olds held Saturday (Aug. 5) at the Meadowlands.

In the colt trot, a patient Sig Sauer won easily. Andrew McCarthy drove the Muscle Hill-Sigilwig colt to his second win in as many career starts, achieving a lifetime mark of 1:53.3.

The colt’s main rival in the betting, My Way, took the lead off the gate as the public’s third choice, Hankins Hanover, followed after leaving from the rail. After settling in third, McCarthy revved Sig Sauer to the outside up the backstretch and the pair passed My Way and cleared to control nearing the :56.3 half. The pair had no trouble putting the first-over Hankins Hanover away through three-quarters 1:25.1. From there, the public’s top trio marched in line with Sig Sauer sailing across the finish line in 1:53.3 a neck in front, My Way floating home second, and Hankins Hanover claiming the show spot.

Sig Sauer paid $4.60 to win.

Noel Daley trains Sig Sauer, whose victory inflated his bankroll to $135,000 in just two starts, for the partnership of Patricia Stable, Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, Allister Stables and Caviart Farms.

“I just wanted to get him out of there unscathed and get away handy enough, and then figure the speed of the race,” McCarthy said. “It looked like I could move him to the front. He’s still pretty green and gets a little lost up front. I guess he’ll get used to it if I keep doing it, right?”

About the competition, he said, “Sounded like [My Way] had a lot of trot on the inside of me. My colt was running out a little bit, but I tried to keep the rail closed to keep him at bay. Sounded like he would’ve given me a real shake, so I tried to keep it close and have Timmy [Tetrick] take a shot at me on the right. Luckily, my colt was good enough to hold on.”

In the filly division, By A Round won for the second time in three starts at 2 with McCarthy haunting Walcango around each turn as that one cut fractions of :27.3, :57 and 1:26 with a meager challenge from favorite Soiree Hanover, who had to go three-wide around the final turn. In the stretch, By A Round put Walcango away and floated to the center of the track on the lead, closing well enough to keep late-charging Sunkist Beauty by three-quarters of a length in 1:55. Soiree Hanover got third.

The Walner-On Your Tab filly paid $11.40 to win.

Frederick Hertrich owns Buy A Round, who has now earned $137,400 in three starts.

“Toddy [McCarthy with Walcango] managed to steal some easy fractions,” Daley said. “That was a good place to be today. We didn’t have a really good day coming into it. I wasn’t sure how we’d be. The only thing I said to [Andrew McCarthy] was ‘under-drive’ her rather than overdrive her. We couldn’t have gotten a much better trip than that.”

Photo courtesy Lisa Photo:
• Sig Sauer outlasted a late bid from My Way to prevail in the New Jersey Sire Stakes 2-year-old colt trot final.