Tioga Downs will be the focus of the harness racing universe on the afternoon of Sunday, August 20 featuring the $163,000 Roll With Joe Free-For-All Grand Circuit stake and the $521,950 Empire Breeders Classic (EBC) pacing finals.
While the older pacing ranks aren't what they were a year ago when Always B Miki and Wiggle It Jiggleit threw down virtually every week all across North America, what we do have in the Roll With Joe is a very competitive, even field of nine accomplished veterans.
Shamballa held his own against the best last year including an upset of the aforementioned pair in a stirring 1:47.1 edition of last year’s US Pacing Championship and his second place finish in the fastest mile ever last fall at The Red Mile. Shamballa has raced but a handful of times without success in 2017 and his last start was two months ago but he qualified back fast at Tioga last Friday. Rick Zeron trains and owns Shamballa with Cool Cat Racing, HA Taylor and Brad Grant.
The top money winner in the race, both career-wise and seasonally, is the iron tough All Bets Off. Over the $2.5-million mark lifetime, he has faced and beaten the best in major stakes from age two right through his present campaign now at six and never goes a bad one. Matt Kakaley has been aboard for virtually every one of those two and a half million dollars for trainer Ron Burke and partners Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino and Panhellnic Corp.
Last year’s Roll With Joe winner, Rockeyed Optimist, returns to defend his title. He’s seeking his first big one of the season for trainer Steve Elliott and owners Anthony Perretti, Ginny Berkner, A&B Stable and Joe Bataglia.
Nine of the Empire State’s finest sophomore pacing colts will battle for $263,100 in their EBC split. The three elimination winners drew shoulder to shoulder from the rail out; In A Single Bound, Heaven’s Gait and Art Scene.
Art Scene, a lightly raced son of American Ideal, won for only the second time in his EBC elimination at odds of more than 15-1. Art Scene had been chasing NYSS types around the smaller ovals before he tipped his hand a bit with a sneaky good effort in the Cane Pace on Hambletonian Day at The Meadowlands. In last week’s win, he prevailed after a long uncovered move on division leader Funknwaffles to win by a neck.
Tony Alagna trains Art Scene for his own interests, Alagna Racing, along with partners Brittany Farms, In The Gym Partners and American Art Stable.
EBC fillies go for $257,850 in the eighth where elimination winners Tequila Monday and Clear Idea drew post one and two.
While Tequila Monday appears to head the pack and went a second faster in her elimination split, Clear Idea has prevailed in both of their most recent meetings. Last week’s win was the ninth of the year for Clear Idea and her seasonal earnings stand at $188,113 for trainer Blake MacIntosh who owns the American Ideal lass with Hutt Racing Stable.
A pair of $30,000 EBC consolation races for those who didn't make it to the final is also on the Sunday card.
The third of four preliminary legs of the Miss Versatility series for mature trotting gals rolls into Tioga and Swedish import Pasithea Face S arrives to face five rivals following her impressive win in the Dr. John Steele Memorial at The Meadowlands. The Nichols patrons will get their chance to see this potential new star live and in person as owner Courant Inc and trainer Jimmy Takter bring her in for this event. Tim Tetrick is the driver.
The Tompkins-Geers stakes for two-year-olds were scheduled for August 20 but the only event that had enough entries to race on the card is the $53,700 filly trot. The others were canceled.
More information and the complete list of entries may be found at the Tioga website.
Post time on Sunday is 1:00 p.m.
(With files from Tioga Downs)