by John Horne, for Tioga Downs

Nichols, NY — Dealt A Winner, the 2015 Cane Pace victor and world champion, pulled off a shocker as the longest shot on the board at 35-1 to capture the $163,000 Roll With Joe in a track record of 1:47.4 at Tioga Downs on Sunday (Aug. 20). It was, however, ladies first, as the emerging star Pasathea Face S established her own facility standard of 1:50.4, an all-age mark, earlier in the stakes-laden card, which included the $263,100 and $257,850 Empire Breeders Classic finals won by Heaven’s Gait and Obvious Blue Chip.

Fred Brown photo

Dealt A Winner just missed a world record with his track record 1:47.4 performance on Sunday at Tioga Downs.

The career winner of $849,548 commenced his journey from post position eight in the eight-horse field. The venerable veteran Sunfire Blue Chip rocketed out of the gate to inherit the early lead but was quite to content to relinquish that to race favorite Rockin Ron after the first quarter was paced in a swift :26.1.

Tim Tetrick decided to send Wakizashi Hanover first-over after the duo sat in third at the half-mile marker. That is when David Miller took advantage of an opportunity and send Dealt A Winner behind that rival’s cover from fifth place. From there, Dealt A Winner took command and tossed down a :26.3 final quarter to put the rest of the field in his wake.

Owned by Jeffrey Snyder and conditioned by Mark Silva, the 5-year-old gelding paid a healthy $72.50 to win and just missed a world record clocking by one-fifth of a second.

Rockin Ron held for second with Sunfire Blue Chip coming home third.

Earlier on the card Pasithea Face S demonstrated her triumph over defending Dan Patch Award winner Hannelore Hanover was not a flash in the pan as she and Tetrick captured the third leg of the Miss Versatilty series in a sparkling 1:50.4.

Oho Diamond (Brett Miller) would lead into the first quarter in :27.1. Pasithea Face S (Muscle Hill) would take over as they went by the stands for the first time. She would follow with fractional times of :55.1, 1:23.4 and 1:50.4.

Pasithea Face S ($3.40) didn’t have it easy though. She battled the first-over PL Hill (Corey Callahan) all the way from the three-quarter mark and bested that rival by a quarter-length. PL Hill (Kadabra) was second with entry-mate Oho Diamond (Ken Warkentin) in third.

Pasithea Face S is owned by Courant Inc. and trained by Jimmy Takter. She won for the fifth time this season with this time now her new lifetime mark. She was just one-fifth of a second off the world record for older pacing mares for a five-eighths mile track

Heaven’s Gait (D. Miller) would win the Empire Breeders Classic final for sophomore pacing colts and geldings, as he charged down the stretch like he was shot out of a cannon.

It was In A Single Bound (Billy Dobson) who would take charge from the gate with a first quarter in :27.4 and a half in :55.4. Funknwaffles (Corey Callahan) would battle and take the lead to the three-quarter mark in 1:21.4.

Heaven’s Gait would watch this speed duel from third throughout the majority of the contest. Owned by John Cummins and trained by Nicholas Devita, the colt decided to take matters into his own hands at the top of lane to fend off the fast-closing Miso Fast (Matt Kakaley) and Music Is Art (Tetrick).

In the $257,850 Empire Breeders Classic final for sophomore pacing fillies another horse that was discounted by the betting public in Obvious Blue Chip (Scott Zeron) was victorious.

Defending New York Sire Stakes champion Tequila Monday (Brian Sears) would post all the early fractions of :26.3, :54.4 and 1:22.3. Clear Idea (Mark MacDonald) riding a seven-race winning streak, would put on pressure during the entire contest. She was parked almost the entire mile, but took the lead at the top of the stretch.

Obvious Blue Chip, owned by NLG Racing Stable and Stephen Klunowski while being trained by Mark Steacy, would take advantage of a second-over trip. The daughter of Roll With Joe blew right by Clear Idea, who was a game second, to win in a lifetime best of 1:50.2. Third place went to Ameriway (Callahan).

Obvious Blue Chip ($57.50), would win for the fourth time this season and the fifth of her career.