Accelerating clear on the backstretch in a :26.4 third quarter, Laurie Lee Poulin and Mike Deters's Prairie Jaguar ($7.70) returned to his winning ways, holding clear in the $14,000 Open 1 Pace on Sunday (June 8) afternoon at Tioga Downs.
The victory was Prairie Jaguar's first since a nine-win streak at Pompano Park that ran from December 2013 to mid-March 2014.
The six-year-old Spy Hard gelding was eager to set an ambitious pace, but was rated by Jim Marohn Jr. through a :56 half-mile. On the backstretch, Prairie Jaguar edged clear of Electrofire (John Cummings Jr.), while Glass Prince (Rick Dane) made a first-over rally into second. With the remainder of the field struggling to keep pace with Prairie Jaguar through three-quarters in 1:22.4, the battle was mainly for minor spoils. Prairie Jaguar held clear to the line, but was kept to task in his 1:51 victory, with Glass Prince holding second and Electrofire staying on to be third.
The $11,000 Open 2 Pace was taken by Golden Gun ($31) in similar fashion, pushing clear on the backstretch en route to a 1:52.2 win with John Cummings Jr. in the bike.
(With files from Tioga Downs)