The hometown favourite All Spirit doubled up in Saturday night’s $16,500 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace at Tioga Downs
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Jimmy Marohn Jr. steered All Spirit away from post position number six in a field of six and pressured to the front over a sloppy track in :27.3. As the duo grabbed control of the racetrack, Harper Lee (Howard Parker) applied immediate pressure trying to re-take, but Marohn was having none of it and turned the cold shoulder through a half in :56.3.
As the field headed towards three-quarters, Marohn stepped on the gas through a :27.4 third quarter reaching the mark in 1:24.1 and opened up on the field. Down the stretch, it wasn’t a matter of if, but by how many that was the only question left unanswered as All Spirit stopped the timer a fifth of a second off of her lifetime best in 1:52.2. She won by three and a quarter lengths. Penny Pincher (Corey Braden) turned a two-hole trip into a second place finish, while Leanback Coco (Phil Fluet) got up for third.
In the second leg of the Williams Auto Group trot, P L Conjure and Jim Meittinis wasted no time getting to the front and leading the field through fractions of :28.3, :58.3 and 1:26.2 before opening up on the field to win in 1:54.4. Polar Rail (Ed Hensley) used a stretch kick from third to finish second, while The Kentuckian (Greg Merton) held on for third.
Tioga Downs continues live racing action on Sunday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m. and will feature the $208,000 Bettors Delight open pace and $178,000 Artiscape Pace for open mares. Also featured on Sunday’s card is the $10,000 guaranteed pick six in the final six races of the day in which Tioga Downs and HANA have teamed up to have a Pick Six "Pool Party."
(With files from Tioga Downs)