Backstreet Shadow ($10.00) turned in a solid bounce-back effort in the $164,000 Roll With Joe on Sunday (June 21) at Tioga Downs, evading nine rivals — including Bettors Wish — for a coast-to-cost 1:49 score in the Southern Tier's premier pacing event.
After tearing through February and March with a four-race win streak in top company at Dover Downs but only mustering a fourth-place finish in his return effort against a Preferred field at The Meadowlands last Saturday (June 13), the five-year-old Shadow Play gelding played "catch me if you can" with some of harness racing's best and controlled the terms outright from the outset. Tim Tetrick fired Backstreet Shadow clear of fellow Ron Burke trainee This Is The Plan (Yannick Gingras) through a :26.2 first quarter. After achieving the lead, Backstreet Shadow did not relent, keeping the pace hot of his own accord through a :54.2 half and rising to the first-over challenge of None Bettor A (Andy McCarthy) through three-quarters in 1:21.1.
Backstreet Shadow dug in off the far turn and maintained his advantage all the way to the winning post, prevailing by a driven 1-1/2 lengths. None Bettor A stayed on for second narrowly over 3-5 favourite Bettors Wish (Dexter Dunn), who was a victim of stalled cover on the clubhouse turn before assuming third-over position on the backstretch and rallying belatedly.
Backstreet Shadow, now a 22-time winner with $628,115 in career earnings, campaigns for the Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Larry Karr, and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby.
A trio of $50,000 divisions of the Graduate for four-year-old pacers served as supporting events in Tioga's second Grand Circuit card of 2020.
Jonathan Klee Racing, Kuhen Racing LLC and William Garofalo's Hurrikane Emperor ($3.50, part of entry) took top honours among Graduate pacers, throwing down the gauntlet with a pillar-to-post 1:48.1 mile in the second division (race 6). Mark MacDonald sent the son of Hurricane Kingcole to the front from post 5, and the pair drilled fractions of :26.4, :54.3 and 1:21 before keeping pocket rival Captain Victorious (Gingras) three-quarters of a length at bay in a lifetime-best performance. Bllack Hole (Tetrick) fanned wide from fourth-over to narrowly claim third, 4-3/4 lengths farther back.
In the first division (race 4), Workin Ona Mystery ($6.50) was the beneficiary of a mid-race duel between pacesetter Century Farroh (Wally Hennessey) and the first-over Warrawee Ubeaut (Gingras), sweeping off third-over cover to prevail by a neck in 1:50. Tim Tetrick drove the son of Captaintreacherous for trainer Brian Brown and the partnership of Diamond Creek Racing, the Stambaugh Leeman Stable, Alan Keith and Wingfield Brothers LLC. O'Brien Award winner Century Farroh proved valiant in defeat; Shamwow emerged out of traffic to take third.
The third division (race 9) saw Breeders Crown winner Dancin Lou ($3.40) brush into a blistering :53.3 first half before shrugging off a stern attack from Brassy Hanover (Scott Zeron) and sprinting off to a 2-1/2-length, 1:48.3 victory over Covered Bridge (Gingras), who circled stalled cover to claim second over a stalling Brassy Hanover. Brian Sears drove the son of Sweet Lou for trainer Tahnee Camilleri and the partnership of David Kryway and 1362313 Ontario Ltd.
Southwind Ozzi had 7 months
Southwind Ozzi had 7 months off, qualified once back in May, had ANOTHER 3 weeks off, and then was entered in a stakes race! Unsurprisingly, the horse was never a factor and finished 6th. The top 10 money earners in the 2 preliminary legs make The Graduate final on July 11. Southwind Ozzi is in a 12-way tie for 16th in earnings, with $0 to his name. That means that unless he finishes first or second in the second leg on 7/4, he almost certainly won't qualify for the final, and he's not guaranteed a spot in the final unless he wins on 7/4. Bettors Wish is in the same predicament, since he skipped the first preliminary leg and entered him in The Roll With Joe instead.
Even if the horses DO make The Graduate final, I'm not so sure that I'd want to face Hurrikane Emperor right now. He's already paced 2 Post-Covid sub-1:50 miles. The first of the 2 races was just a qualifier, but he beat both Southwind Ozzi AND Bettors Wish in that race.