The 1:57.4 track record for two-year-old colt trotters coming into Saturday night at Tioga Downs was held by A Penny Earned. When the night was over, the record has been lowered twice, and by more than two full seconds
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In the third of four divisions of New York Sire Stakes, Royal Shyster (Dan Daley) cut right down the pike and put up fractions of :28.2, :57.3, and 1:27.4 before easing away from the field to victory in a track record time of 1:57.1. It was the sixth win in eight starts for the two-year-old son of RC Royalty-Spin The Planet for trainer Dan Daley.
However, that track record will come down as one of the shortest in the track’s history, because the following race driver-trainer Ray Schnittker was on a mission.
Delano and Schnittker left aggressively from post position number six as the 9-2 third choice and made their own fate through :27.4, :56.4 and 1:25.1. Around the final turn, the 2-5 betting favourite A Penny Earned went off stride, along with the pocket-sitting Coraggioso, and that left Delano all alone on the front. Coming to the wire it wasn’t a matter of if, but by how many, and how fast those were the only unanswered questions. Delano, the two-year-old son of Credit Winner-Kelly Hall, crossed the wire in a new track record time of 1:55.2.
“He’s got a lot of talent and he’s so big when he is on a half he jams himself up so the bigger track really helps him. He was going about what he can go there, but I think he can be a Hambo horse for next year so we will see what happens the rest of this year,” said Schnittker following his victory.
Capturing the other two divisions of NYSS were Armed Dangerously (Cash Hall-Drive You Wild) and Jim Morrill Jr. in 1:58.3, and Classic Conway (Conway Hall-Classic Yankee) and Stephane Bouchard in 1:58.1.
Tioga Downs continues live racing on Sunday, September 4 at 6:50 p.m. and will feature See You At Peelers in NYSS action.
(Tioga Downs)