Graduate Series begins at Tioga Downs on Sunday

Nichols, NY — Tioga Downs will host the first Grand Circuit stakes of the 2020 season when the first trotting leg of the Graduate Series comes to town on Sunday evening (June 14). Thirteen declarations split into two $50,000 divisions carded as races 11 and 12 on the 15-race extravaganza.

Gimpanzee will face five rivals as he makes the Graduate the first start of his 4-year-old campaign. Mike Lizzi photo.

Gimpanzee (Brian Sears) will face five rivals as he makes the Graduate the first start of his 4-year-old campaign for trainer Marcus Melander and owners Courant Inc. and S R F Stable. The son of Chapter Seven closed out his sophomore season powerfully with wins in the Yonkers Trot, New York Sire Stakes final and Breeders Crown to vault past $1 million in 2019 earnings.

The second split will feature trotting “girl power” as top mares Grand Swan and Pure Chance invade the Empire State with powerful Midwest resumes.

Melander and Sears team up again to send out Grand Swan, who cashed in for $411,232 last year by dominating the Indiana program. The mare is owned by Never 2 Late Stable, Grand Swan Racing, Bruce Soulsby and Alan Weisenberg.

Pure Chance (Aaron Merriman) parlayed multiple wins in the Ohio-sired stakes program with a few Grand Circuit scores into nearly a quarter million dollars in earnings for trainer Chris Beaver who shares ownership with Steven Zeehandelar.

Tioga will host the first leg of the Graduate Series for pacers on a June 21 card that includes the $175,000 (est.) Roll With Joe Open Pace and the opening leg of the 2020 New York Sires Stake for 3-year-old trotting fillies.

The Graduate Series moves to The Meadowlands for leg two for the trotters on June 27, leg two for pacers on July 4 and both $250,000 finals on July 11 at The Meadowlands on Meadowlands Pace elimination night.

The live racing schedule at Tioga throughout the month of June is Sunday and Monday with a 4 p.m. post time.

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