Tioga Downs will play host to a leg of the Kindergarten Classic on Friday (Sept. 13). The leg will feature a quartet of non-wagering races for juvenile trotters and pacers. The races will be conducted throughout the pari-mutuel card.
The colt pace will take place in between pari-mutuel races one and two. The colt trot will be between pari-mutuel races two and three. The filly trot will be contested in between pari-mutuel races three and four. The filly pace will take place between pari-mutuel races four and five.
The first of the races will feature pacing colts and geldings. Trainer Tony Alagna will send two-time winner Ideal Perception (to be driven by Matt Kakaley) as well as Captain Barbosa (Andrew McCarthy) to the starting gate. Ideal Perception (by American Ideal and out of Southwind Siren) has won two New York Excelsior ‘A’ series races in his six lifetime starts. Captain Barbosa is a colt by Captaintreacherous-Swinging Beauty. He has won over $45,000 in his career and has recorded four second-place finishes and a third from eight career starts.
The second race will feature trotting colts and geldings. The John Butenschoen-trained Swipe Right (Mike Simons) has won two races from seven starts. He is a colt by Explosive Matter-Online Exclusive. Overserved (Matt Kakaley) is the other two-time winner in the field. Trained by George Ducharme, he is a colt by Explosive Matter-Afterimage. He will be looking for his third consecutive victory.
The third Kindergarten race will feature trotting fillies. Winter Olympics (Wally Hennessey) appears to be the horse to beat. The filly by Muscle Mass-Olympic Dreams won a leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on August 9. Trained by Ake Svanstedt, she has also recorded a second-place finish. Her lifetime earnings are over $35,000.
The last of four Kindergarten races will feature pacing fillies. The three-horse field includes the Nancy Johansson-trained Love For Sail (Captaintreacherous-West Side Glory) and JK Finendandy (American Ideal-JK Fine). Love For Sail (Andrew McCarthy) has a win, a second, and a third in four lifetime starts. JL Finendandy (Matt Kakaley) has two seconds in four career starts. They will take on the Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman-trained Anthem (David Miller). The filly by Sweet Lou-Monkeys Can Sing has a win, two seconds, and a third from six starts.
Post time for the card will be at 6:15 p.m.
(With files from Tioga Downs)