Flag Party and driver Joe Chindano Jr. won the $19,444 Open Handicap Pace at Tioga Downs on Sunday afternoon, May 31.
Flag Party beat a pair of inside foes off the gate and led all the way without a threat until the stretch when the slightly favoured Melanion N (Ridge Warren) took aim from the pocket. However, Flag Party held on by half a length for the win in a career-best 1:50.3 clocking. Bettors Donttell (Greg Merton) followed in third in the short five-horse field that turned into a three-horse race when Street Hawk N (James Kennedy) broke stride in fourth and Always B Elvis (Jim Pantaleano) could not avoid hooking wheels as those two were taken out of contention before the half but did finish the race.
Jennina Shaw trains Flag Party, who now has three wins from 11 starts this year and 17 victories lifetime. Chindano co-owns the five-year-old Stag Party-Sassafras Girl gelding with partners Jeffrey Savidge of North Chili, New York, Michael De Saye of St. Johns, Florida and Richard Dimaio of Inverness, Illinois.
Flag Party paid $7.54 to win as the 5-2 third choice in his return to the Open ranks.
Live harness racing returns to Tioga Downs on Friday, June 5 with post time at 6:15 p.m.
(Standardbred Canada & Tioga Downs)