Cactus Creek and Jordan Stratton equaled the all age track record, and broke the track record for aged gelding pacers on Sunday afternoon at Tioga Downs
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With the help of the warm muggy weather, the duo paced through torrid fractions of :25.1, :52.3, and 1:20 before pacing home in :30 seconds flat to stop the teletimer in 1:50. The win was the third of the year for the seven-year old son of Artsplace-Cactus Flower, whose previous lifetime mark of 1:50.2 was taken in the Adios in 2006.
Jamie Gerard trains Cactus Creek for Reginald Duguay of Winslow, Maine, and with the win increased his career earnings to less than $4,000 away from $500,000.
In the $14,000 Class A Handicap Pace, Bobs Alibi and Greg Merton used early speed out of the gate to capture the pocket trip behind Jason Bartlett and The Awful Truth. Merton followed Bartlett through fractions of :26.4, :54.4, and 1:22.4 before pulling to the outside to challenge in the stretch and pace by the pacesetter en route to the 1:52 victory. Corey Braden and Sheer Brilliance found room along the inside to finish second, while Bartlett and The Awful Truth hung on for third.
Jason Bartlett posted a driving grand slam on the afternoon’s 13-race card, while Matt Kakaley scored a driving double.
(Tioga Downs)