FlyHawk El Durado picked up right where he left off the in the New York Sire Stakes in taking the first of two $62,400 legs on Friday at Tioga Downs.
Mark MacDonald sent the 2013 NYSS Two-Year-Old Champion straight to the front for soft fractions of :29 and :58.1. Martin Scharf's three-year-old son of Conway Hall-El Paso Gal then picked up the pace by trotting a back half in :57 with a last quarter of :28.2. The Mark Ford-trained Flyhawk El Durado was never really challenged and crossed the line with a comfortable 2-1/2 length victory in 1:55.1. Lukas Hall and Jim Morrill Jr. finished second while Hallanet and Jim Marohn Jr. wound up third.
In the second division of NYSS, John Grasso’s homebred, Expressive Action was an impressive winner in a thrilling finish.
Gural Hanover was sent to the front and opened an early three length lead with a brisk opening quarter of :27.1. Jeff Gregory then settled Gural Hanover down through a half of :57.1, when shortly after, business picked up. Mickey McGivern’s Cash Me Out then pulled from the three-hole to get up and challenge the leader through a three-quarters in 1:25.3, a spirited :28.2 duel. By the top of the stretch, Cash Me Out wore down Gural Hanover and stuck a nose in front, but that’s when a perfectly placed Expressive Action, handled brilliantly by driver Mike Simons, eased out three-wide from the pocket and chased down Cash Me Out right at the wire to win by a neck in 1:54.2. The win was his first of the year and the second win in just six lifetime starts.
Leading Tioga Downs driver Marohn Jr. steered three Excelsior horses to victory tonight (Crazolo, Rc Marquee and Engagedatlexington) while Morrill Jr. guided the remaining two (Avivas Winner and Zoey De Vie).
(With files from Tioga Downs)