Linda Toscano trainees Cut And Paste and Soft Idea both achieved early leads and never looked back in their respective $31,894 Reynolds Stake divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies on Thursday evening at Tioga Downs, while Katies Rocker was king among five two-year-old pacing colts and geldings in their lone $64,788 dash.
The first division for pacing fillies, contested as Race 3, saw Cut And Paste ($2.10) work clear of Twice an Angel (Matt Kakaley) in the initial stages, controlling the terms throughout her 1:54.3 triumph. Jim Marohn, Jr. comfortably rated sectionals of :28.1, :57.4, and 1:26.2 with the daughter of Well Said, and Cut And Paste responded immediately to the late challenge of Twice and Angel to prevail by 1-1/2 lengths.
In the second division, carded as race 5, Soft Idea ($2.40) settled off early pacesetters JK Fannie (Kakaley) and Wine Snob (Mike Simons), drafting through a :28.1 initial quarter before brushing to the fore upon entering the home straight on the first occasion. Once clear on the lead, Jim Morrill, Jr. rated a :57 middle half with the American Ideal filly. Off the far turn, Soft Idea dug in to repel dual challengers JK Fannie and Wine Snob, both of which closed in from either side in a dead heat for second, three-quarters of a length behind the odds-on winner.
While pupils of Toscano took both filly divisions of the Reynolds, a Jim Campbell trainee prevailed in the lone split for colts and geldings. Katies Rocker ($2.20) worked clear of his four rivals with no trouble at all, sprinting off through a :27.3 initial quarter before Simon Allard rated a :31 breather to race's midpoint. On the backstretch, the Rocknroll Hanover gelding was nudged along by his entrymate Show the Fashion (Kakaley), but Katies Rocker proved far superior in the end. The Fashion Farms homebred edged clear by 1-1/2 lengths, using a :55.1 back half mile to cap a 1:53.4 victory over Safensound Hanover (Morrill), who gave chase from the pocket once clear in the final sixteenth.
Live racing returns to Tioga on Friday evening, with the first of 13 races due off at 6:15 p.m.
(Tioga Downs)