by harness racing publicists across North America

Saturday’s (June 24) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Buffalo Raceway, Running Aces, Saratoga Raceway, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs and Kawartha Downs.

China Dream gives great gift at Buffalo Raceway

Hamburg, NY — It was trainer Maria Rice’s birthday on Saturday evening (June 24) and her trainee, China Dream, gave her a great present by winning the featured $9,000 Preferred Pace at Buffalo Raceway in a seasonal best 1:54.1 over the fast track.

Steve Roth photo

China Dream provides his trainer with a birthday gift by hitting the winner’s circle on Saturday evening.

China Dream (Drew Monti) led at every quarter-mile station and held off a pesky Lucky McTrucky (Kevin Cummings) by a half-length. Show Stopping (Ray Fisher Jr.) took the show position.

Starting from the rail, the favored China Dream ($4.40) played the give-and-go with Lucky McTrucky and set the fractions with a :28.3, :56.4 and 1:25.2. China Dream started to drift out in the charge for the wire but stayed the course long enough to turn back the threat of Lucky McTrucky.

Co-owned by Jack and Maria Rice, the 6-year-old gelded China Dream (If I Can Dream-China Art) has won five times in 19 outings in 2017. The win upped his seasonal earnings to $40,770 and $213,443 lifetime.

Cummings notched a driving triple while Monti and Jim Morrill Jr. had doubles.

Racing will continue on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. with a 10-race program scheduled. The New York Sire Stakes will highlight the action with the 3-year-old trotting fillies set to do battle in a pair of events worth more than $58,000 each. Barn Bella, the defending NYSS champion, headlines the fifth race field. She arrives riding a 10-race win streak.

There will also be races contested in the Excelsior A and B Series.

For more information including the latest news, upcoming promotions, race replays and results, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.

— by Brian Mazurek

Running Aces

The Saturday (June 24) night card at Running Aces featured Minnesota-sired 3-year-old pacers. The $8,000 filly division drew a full field of nine young distaffers and was headlined by last week’s winner and 2016 champion 2-year-old filly Whatitdobabyboo (Rick Magee), who is conditioned by David Flinn for The Van Oterloo Stables. The favorite filly was saddled with the outside nine-post this evening, and made a big move past the five-eighths marker to take the lead, but it would be Swinging Again with James Yoder in the sulky for trainer Gene Miller and owners Wolfswinkel Pacers Inc. who would ultimately prevail. Both of these fillies are by Voracious Hanover. Swinging Again followed the big move made by Whatitdobabyboo and then tipped off that cover with plenty of pace in the lane to go past her to get the victory in a lifetime best mile of 1:54.1. It was just the second lifetime win for Swinging Again ($10.20) in eight starts. The $8,000 colts and geldings division attracted a field of seven sophomores and was headlined by Wonder Bull, who came into tonight’s contest with three wins in his six local starts this year. Tonight he did not disappoint once again, as he left sharply from post one for the pocket trip. He then exploded in the final quarter to draw away from the field by 5-1/2 lengths to post his seventh lifetime win, stopping the clock in 1:54.2. Wonder Bull ($3.80) is owned by Rick and Lesa Peters, and is trained and driven by Nick Roland. Leading driver Nick Roland led all drivers on Saturday, with a double on the card. One lucky patron correctly selected all five winners in the 20-cent Jackpot Pick-5 tonight, to collect $20,306.64 on the 7-1-3-3-6 combination, which included only one post time favorite (the three horse Dakota Sleek in race six at 3-5) the winning ticket was sold through Xpressbet and reportedly was a $112 wager. The next card of live harness racing at Running Aces Casino & Racetrack will go to post on Sunday night (June 25) at 6:00 p.m. CDT with a 12-race program.

Saratoga Raceway

On Saturday (June 24) night, we recognized forty years of service for Skip Carlson at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The man who has worn many hats at the track throughout the decades had a race in his honor. The Open Pace was the Carlson Classic and went for a purse of $20,000. A field of just six participated as defending Pacer of the Year Artful Way was scratched out of the event. The race’s 4-5 betting favorite Betterlatethnnever (Western Terror) moved out to the early lead but set sizzling fractions in order to make it to the top. After a first quarter in :26.3 and a half in :55 seconds flat, the Heidi Rohr trainee braced for even money shot Long Live Rock (Wally Hennessey) who just last week won the feature in 1:50.4. Those two squared off in the stretch in a terrific battle with Betterlatethnnever holding off his foe by the slimmest of margins in a mile clocked in 1:50.1. That win time matched the previous mark set by Artful Way as the fastest of the year at Saratoga. It also served as a new lifetime mark for the 8-year-old pacer who is in the midst of his career year, winning five straight and 10 on the season thus far. Betterlatethnnever was driven to victory by Frank Coppola Jr. Long Live Rock came up second best while Race Me Rocky (Phil Fluet) earned the show spot. Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time set for 12:15 p.m.

Tioga Downs

Wind Of North (Jeff Long) breezed by in the stretch and held on to win the $12,000 Open Trot at Tioga Downs Saturday night (June 24). Lucid Thoughts (Tom Jackson) would lead from just after the first quarter then all the way to the top of the stretch. Wind Of The North ($4.60), who is owned by Daryl Bier and Joann Dombeck, while trained by Long would go three-wide to charge to the front. The 7-year-old gelding by Cantab Hall would have to hold off the late charging Prairie Fortune (Jim Meittinis) in deep stretch. Wind Of The North found something extra to win in 1:54.2. On The Podium (Mike Merton) would finish third. Jeff Long would also win with Too Much Man (Deweycheatumnhowe). The 3-year-old gelding who is owned by Ed Reich and trainer Paul Long would have it a lot easier to go gate-to-wire in 1:58.0. mToo Much Man ($4.20) won for the second straight start. Joey Pro (Mickey Mc Nichol) came in second and Just Like Bud (Corey Braden) got third. Tioga Downs returns to action Sunday afternoon (June 25) with a 12-race card starting at 1 p.m. For more information go to www.tiogadowns.com.

Vernon Downs

Modern Gesture (Jimmy Whittemore) would take the Pace Feature ($7,500) at the Miracle Mile on Saturday (June 24). The 7-year-old gelding by Artiscape would charge late in the stretch to overtake Oh My Joepa (John MacDonald). Oh My Joepa would go right to the front and set fractions of :27.0, :55.3, 1:24.1. Modern Gesture ($4.30), who is owned by Mark Jakubik and trained by Richard Dow, would be second at the top of the stretch and wear down Oh My Joepa (second) in the stretch to win by a head in 1:51.3. Big Game (Josh Kinney) finished third. Justin Huckabone won four races at Vernon Downs tonight. Huackabone would capture race two with Jojo Joves ($4.60), going gate-to-wire by six lengths in 1:54.2. He would win his second during race four with McDan ($5.90) in 1:54.2. Huckabone’s third win came in race 10 with Makeoutlikeapandit ($5.40) would hold off a late charge by Sea Harrier (Claude Huckabone III) by a nose in 1:53.1. Race 12 would be win number four for Huckabone with L Dees Broadway ($3.50). L Dees Broadway would battle Double Your Money (Truman Gale) all the way down the stretch and win by a head in 2:01.2. Vernon Downs returns for live racing on Thursday (June 29) with an eight-race card starting at 6:45 p.m. For more information go to www.vernondowns.com.

Kawartha Downs

Saturday (June 24) at Kawartha Downs driver Steve Hudon made his first appearance since the track’s opening night last month a worthwhile one with three wins on the nine-race card. He started the ball rolling in the second race when he won with Sierra Madra in 1:55.2. It was the first win in 23 starts this year for the 5-year-old Badlands Hanover gelding owned and trained by Scott West of Rockwood. Two races later he was back in the winner’s circle with Short Reign who won her event with eight lengths to spare. Gerald Lilley trains the Majestic Son 4-year-old he co-owns with Bill Manes and Steve Papillon. Vinnie Bobarino completed the hat trick for Hudon as he won an exciting stretch drive to defeat Bet Till Dawn by a head in 1:56.1. Mike Weller trains and owns the winner, a 3-year-old gelding by Skydancer Hanover. Racing returns to the Fraserville oval next Saturday night with free programs and hat and t-shirt giveaways throughout the night in honor of Canada Day and the 250th Anniversary of horse racing in this country. Post time is 7 p.m.