Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing

Driver of the Month
for April 2008

Jim Morrill, Jr.

Jim Morrill, Jr. is perhpas one of the most understated harness drivers today. The Freehold, New Jersey resident was born November 10, 1964, in Methuian, Maine, into a harness racing family.

Jim Morrill, Jr.

His father, Jim Sr., was a veteran on the New England circuit for over 30 years. Jim Jr. began driving horses at Foxboro in 1984, and hasn't show any signs of slowing down. He moved to Maryland in the late 1980s and became the leading driver at Rosecroft before shifting his post to Yonkers in 1991. He joined the New Jersey circuit just over ten years ago and has been a dominate force in the Garden State ever since.

                        Jim Morrill, Jr. steers Follow Your Bliss
                         to victory at The Meadowlands.

Morrill, Jr. scored his 3,000th career victory at The Meadowlands as he steered Arts Regard to a 1:52 clocking on March 30, 2005. That same night at the Big M the 40-year-old driver won the $60,000 Jersey Girls Final with Follow Your Bliss (his 2,999th win).

Over the years Jim Morrill, Jr. has sat behind some of the finest pacers that harness racing has to offer. One of his biggest moments came in 1993 when he piloted Silver Almahurst to a world record clocking for a half-mile oval at Yonkers Raceway by capturing the George Morton Levy Memorial Final on April 24 in a sizzling 1:50:4.

Morrill Jr. and the great Riyadh set a world record in the second of the two 1993 Adios elimination divisions on August 14, pacing a mile in 1:50.1. The mark stands as the fastest mile ever by a horse on a five-eighths mile track. Riyadh stole the show at The Adios with Morrill saying that he felt as though Riyadh could have gone in 1:48 if pressured.

The other division of The Adios was won by Mystical Prince and Ron Pierce in 1:51. In the final, Riyadh was sitting third and was in perfect position to win. However, Mystical Prince who was on the front, jumped a shadow causing a pile-up at the three-quarter pole. No horses or drivers were injured but Riyadh was caught up in the accident allowing longshot Miles McCool and John Campbell to win the race. Riyadh made up ground in the stretch but by this time the trophy was lost and he had to settle for second. The time of the final was 1:51.2.

He was also the main pilot beind Four Starzzzz Shark in 2003.

Perhaps one of Jim's biggest scores was in 2004's Meadowland's Pace on July 17. Jim steered Holburn Hanover to a surprise 1:49 neck clocking over rival Timesareachanging. Holburn Hanover returned a whopping $119.00 to win for his effort, with Morrill Jr. in the sulky.

Morrill relocated to the Western New York harness racing circuit lin August 2005, and it didn’t take him long to dominant the driver standings. On September 24 of that year he set a new Batavia Downs record by winning seven races in one night only to eclipse it a week later by winning eight. He won an amazing 128 of his 307 drives at America’s oldest lighted Harness track for a staggering 41.7% win percentage.

Jim Morrill Jr.'s Career Statistics Through April 1, 2008
Year    Starts   Wins   2nds    3rds     Earnings     UDRS
2008         43      21       10         0        $78,785         0.618
2007      1043    311      186      153      $4,353,060      0.446
2006      1011    379      199      112      $2,186,527      0.521
2005      1298    231      207      145      $3,183,736      0.304
2004      1945   265      282      269      $4,634,757      0.263
2003      2117   349      310      268      $5,232,264      0.288
2002      1316    150      154      158      $3,069,381      0.219
2001      858       95       104      100      $2,768,384      0.217
2000      921       81         87      95      $2,384,836       0.175
1999      653     109        80      84      $1,341,549      0.278
1998      2261   279       315      312      $4,327,169      0.247
1997      1945   290      256      263      $3,236,191      0.267
1996      1290   146       149      167      $1,919,952      0.220
1995      766       89         84      88      $1,159,449      0.215
1994      1299   147       172      170      $1,802,162      0.230
1993      1435    245       218      209      $3,149,682      0.304
1992      791       91       106      111      $1,088,351      0.236
1991      1135   153      155      148      $913,525         0.254
1990      934     121      129      104      $875,718         0.243
1989      901      127      123      110      $712,843         0.257
1988      827      117       111       97      $393,281        0.255
1987      463      61         64       56      $213,683         0.249
1986      89         11        13        13      $27,360           0.253
1985      107        5         10         8      $9,063             0.124
1984      107       12         11       16      $10,827           0.219
Total              3,885                          $49,072,535