Fearless Partners and Odds On Monetary were victorious in the Empire Breeders Classics for three-year-old pacers at Tioga Downs on Sunday, Aug. 30.

The Noel Daley-trained Fearless Partners ($16.66) and driver Jordan Stratton upset heavy favourite Fragment with a career-best 1:50.3 performance in the $273,750 Empire Breeders Classic for colts and geldings.

Fragment (Jason Bartlett) looped the quick-leaving Knoxville (Tyler Buter) after a :26.1 opening quarter, getting to the half in :55.1 then accelerating to three-quarters in 1:22.2. After landing midfield in fourth in the early going, Fearless Partners launched his attack heading into the homestretch, fanning wider than Hunting Glory (Ridge Warren) out of the three-hole, and ultimately caught the 1-9 favourite on the front just before the wire for the half-length victory with his :27.2 closing kick. Hunting Glory secured third-place. 

"It was a wide-open race and I didn't really know what to expect, and the trip worked out perfect," commented Stratton in a post-race interview. "He raced phenomenal today."

Fearless Partners followed up on his first stakes victory in the New York Sire Stakes last weekend at Batavia Downs and now has five career wins from 19 starts with earnings totalling $295,123. The American Ideal-No Fear Dear gelding is owned by Robert Leblanc of New York City, New York, Pryde Stables of North York, Ont., Joe Sbrocco And Jaf Racing of Staten Island, New York, and William Beattie of Toronto, Ont.

Odds On Monetary ($6.18) added to her New York stakes trophy collection winning the $259,861 filly division of the Empire Breeders Classic for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Travis Alexander.

Odds On Monetary, the 2-1 second choice, pressed on between a pair of early leavers to take command and carved out fractions of :27, :56.4 and 1:24.2 while 17-1 shot Existential (Leon Bailey) made steady progress advancing from the back of the eight-horse field to challenge down the backstretch. As they reached the homestretch, Existential kept on coming while 3-5 favourite Liberty Style (Jason Bartlett) had to split rivals from the three-hole in the race to the finish, but Odds On Monetary held on to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.2. Existential edged out Liberty Style for the runner-up honours.

"She's cantankerous but she gets it done," noted Alexander in the winner's circle. "She likes to be up front and the way it worked out, that was a perfect drive. They kept [Liberty Style] locked in and it worked out for us."

Odds On Monetary, also a four-time New York Sire Stakes winner this season, is now 10-for-20 lifetime with earnings totalling $689,649. The daughter of Huntsville out of All On Top Hanover is owned by Odds On Racing of Boca Raton, Florida.

Earlier on the card, Rose Run Cowboy ($3.94) earned his third straight New York Sire Stakes victory, winning this $155,694 leg for freshman pacing colts and geldings in a career-best 1:52.1 clocking for trainer Ron Burke with Tyler Buter catch-driving.

After following in mid-pack in the field of nine through panels of :27, :55.1 and 1:23.1, 4-5 favourite Rose Run Cowboy rallied off cover to lasso the leaders, prevailing by half a length over Free Agent (Braxten Boyd), who was relegated to the pocket position early on but out-sprinted pacesetter My Body Guard (Ridge Warren) for the runner-up honours.

Rose Run Cowboy, a colt by Huntsville out of Blameitonthenight, watched his earnings soar to $230,108 after winning his last three of six career starts for owners Thomas and Scott Dillon of Anson, Maine.

The Burke-trained Bacchus Blue Chip romped to an 8-3/4-length victory in 1:51.4 in one of the $27,778 Excelsior Series divisions in rein to Jason Bartlett. The other division was won by Its News To Me in 1:53.3 with Leon Bailey driving for trainer Chuck Connor Jr. Both colts took new lifetime marks with Bacchus Blue Chip picking up his third Excelsior win and Its News To Me scoring his second victory.

Live harness racing returns to Tioga Downs on Friday, Sept. 4 with post time at 6:15 p.m.

(Standardbred Canada with files from Tioga Downs; photo of Fearless Partners winning on Aug. 30)