Pushing clear with a circuit to go, Niss Allen Inc.'s U Belong To Me ($17.20) backed down the second quarter before accelerating clear to a 1:54.3 win in Saturday (June 27) evening's $10,000 Open II Pace at Tioga Downs.
The six-year-old Misfit gelding was caught wide early as A Weekend (Mike Simons) worked to clear Flying Cowboy (Dan Clements) through a :28 first quarter over sloppy going. Undeterred by the contested early pace, Fern Paquet Jr. drove on with U Belong To Me, clearing A Weekend in the first pass through the home straight and subsequently slackening through a :30.3 second quarter. After the breather on the clubhouse turn, U Belong To Me accelerated on the backstretch to evade a first-over bid from Ts Electric (Aaron Byron) and dismiss pocket rival A Weekend, who tired on the far turn. Turning up the pace through a :27.4 third quarter, U Belong To Me held clear of Ts Electric for a two and a quarter length victory in 1:54.3. No Monkeys Allowed (John Cummings Jr.) sustained a belated rally to take third.
Eric Mollor trains U Belong To Me, who recorded his 12th career win.
Mike Simons led all drivers with four wins on the 13-race card, and Dan Clements recorded a driving hat trick. Renaldo Morales III and Shawn Simons led all trainers with two wins apiece.
Live racing returns to Tioga with a 12-race program on Sunday (June 28) afternoon, featuring New York Sire Stakes action for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings along with the Normand Fluet Memorial Invitational Trot. Post time is 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.
(Tioga Downs)