Excelsior Series Finals Contested In Tioga Finale
The New York Excelsior Series Finals took centre stage on closing night at Tioga Downs on Saturday, Sept. 19 with eight events each worth $140,845.
Prop Bet ($5.16) put together a lifetime-best 1:52 mile to extend her winning streak to five in the freshman filly pace final. The daughter of American Courage-Bet Online was 2-1/2 lengths the best for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander and owner Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC.
Lady Oakley ($16.32) won the card opener with a 1:51 mile in the three-year-old pacing filly event with Braxten Boyd aboard for trainer Maria Alvarez. The Huntsville-Lady Dudette miss had a three-quarter-length margin for owner Friendship Stables LLC.
Solar Queen ($8.80) scored with a front-end effort in the freshman filly trot. Tyler Buter controlled the daughter of Mets Hall-Supreme Seven to a 1-3/4-length, 1:55.2 victory for trainer Rob Harmon and owners Go For Glory Stable LLC and Matthew Lamont.
Buter and Harmon also won with Telling Tall Tales ($3.96) in the two-year-old colt trot event. The Back Of The Neck-Scores To Settle gelding was 1-1/2 lengths clear in the 1:55.2 effort for owners Harmon Racing Stable LLC, Billy Muggleston and Robert Robinson.
My Philomene ($2.24), a New York Sire Stakes winner on Aug. 25, finished her Excelsior Series campaign with a 1:54.3 tally for trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer. The Chapter Seven-Irish Melody Fr filly, owned by Melady Enterprises LLC, captured the final for three-year-old trotting fillies by 2-1/2 lengths.
Bacchus Blue Chip ($2.12) took the rookie male pace in 1:51.4 as the of American Ideal-Sunnynseventyfive colt won by 2-1/4 lengths with Jason Bartlett in the bike. The Ron Burke trainee is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Larry Karr, Libby & Purnel and Frank Baldachino.
Aries Blue Chip ($2.38) produced the fastest clocking and widest margin of the card as the American Ideal-Fox Valley Shaker gelding jogged in 1:50.1 in the three-year-old pacing colt final. The gelding was clear by 7-1/4 lengths at the line for driver Jason Bartlett, trainer Deborah Daguet and owner Forrest Bartlett.
Number Seven ($58.72) overcame post eight, rallying from seventh at the half to a 28-1 upset victory in 1:56.1 in the final for sophomore male trotters. Jonathan Ahle steered the Chapter Seven-Empressive Hill gelding to the 1-1/2-length triumph for trainer Alicia Gray and owners Paul O’Neil and Jessica Okusko.
(Standardbred Canada with files from Tioga Downs; photo of Prop Bet winning on Sept. 19)