The New York Excelsior Series Finals took centre stage on closing night at Tioga Downs on Saturday, Sept. 19 with eight events each worth $140,845.
Prop Bet ($5.16) put together a lifetime-best 1:52 mile to extend her winning streak to five in the freshman filly pace final. The daughter of American Courage-Bet Online was 2-1/2 lengths the best for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander and owner Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC.
Lady Oakley ($16.32) won the card opener with a 1:51 mile in the three-year-old pacing filly event with Braxten Boyd aboard for trainer Maria Alvarez. The Huntsville-Lady Dudette miss had a three-quarter-length margin for owner Friendship Stables LLC.
Solar Queen ($8.80) scored with a front-end effort in the freshman filly trot. Tyler Buter controlled the daughter of Mets Hall-Supreme Seven to a 1-3/4-length, 1:55.2 victory for trainer Rob Harmon and owners Go For Glory Stable LLC and Matthew Lamont.
Buter and Harmon also won with Telling Tall Tales ($3.96) in the two-year-old colt trot event. The Back Of The Neck-Scores To Settle gelding was 1-1/2 lengths clear in the 1:55.2 effort for owners Harmon Racing Stable LLC, Billy Muggleston and Robert Robinson.
My Philomene ($2.24), a New York Sire Stakes winner on Aug. 25, finished her Excelsior Series campaign with a 1:54.3 tally for trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer. The Chapter Seven-Irish Melody Fr filly, owned by Melady Enterprises LLC, captured the final for three-year-old trotting fillies by 2-1/2 lengths.
Bacchus Blue Chip ($2.12) took the rookie male pace in 1:51.4 as the of American Ideal-Sunnynseventyfive colt won by 2-1/4 lengths with Jason Bartlett in the bike. The Ron Burke trainee is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Larry Karr, Libby & Purnel and Frank Baldachino.
Aries Blue Chip ($2.38) produced the fastest clocking and widest margin of the card as the American Ideal-Fox Valley Shaker gelding jogged in 1:50.1 in the three-year-old pacing colt final. The gelding was clear by 7-1/4 lengths at the line for driver Jason Bartlett, trainer Deborah Daguet and owner Forrest Bartlett.
Number Seven ($58.72) overcame post eight, rallying from seventh at the half to a 28-1 upset victory in 1:56.1 in the final for sophomore male trotters. Jonathan Ahle steered the Chapter Seven-Empressive Hill gelding to the 1-1/2-length triumph for trainer Alicia Gray and owners Paul O’Neil and Jessica Okusko.
(Standardbred Canada with files from Tioga Downs; photo of Prop Bet winning on Sept. 19)