by Dustin Ross, regional racing operations manager, Tioga Downs

Nichols, NY — Ray Schnittker won’t be bringing the 2008 Hambletonian champion Deweycheatumnhowe with him to Tioga Downs on Saturday night, August 9, but he will be bringing top New York bred trotter Make It Happen.

The 3-year-old son of Conway Hall-Meadowbranch Magic finished third in the $1.5 million Hambletonian last Saturday with Daniel Dube in the bike. Make It Happen and Schnittker will start from post four in Saturday’s $153,550 first division of the Zweig Memorial Trot. The sophomore trotter has been living in the shadow of his stablemate in 2008 but has banked $485,427 this season and $759,335 in 23 career starts.

Also in the same division with Make It Happen is Hambletonian elimination winner Atomic Hall, campaigned from the Trond Smedshammer stable. Smedshammer will also be doing the driving on the 3-year-old Self Possessed-Audra Hall colt owned by Leif Alber.

Hall of Fame driver John Campbell will be at Tioga on Saturday as well and will be steering morning line favorite Big Apple Deli in the $151,050 second division of the Zweig. This will be the sixth start in a row that Campbell will sit behind the 3-year-old Conway Hall-Windswept Pleasure trotter for trainer John Simpson, Jr. Campbell steered Big Apple Deli to a third place finish in his Hambo elimination, but could do no better than seventh in the final. Big Apple Deli has won five of his 10 seasonal starts for owner Lon Frocione and carries a seasonal bankroll of $199,841.

Also, competing in the second division is the lightly raced trotting colt The Pres, who will leave from the rail position with Andy Miller in the sulky. The son of Andover Hall-Southwind Allaire will make his eighth lifetime start out of the Trond Smedshammer stable for owners Bob Anderson, David Willmot, Douglas Dunbar, and John Fielding. The Pres has won three of his seven lifetime starts and shows speed, carrying a lifetime mark of 1:55.1 at Pocono Downs in Sire Stake competition.

Also competing on Saturday night at Tioga will be the 3-year-old filly trotters in the Zweig Memorial Trot for the girls. Two divisions will go to the post for $52,260 each with nine starters in each division.

Morning line favorite for the first division will be another Ray Schnittker trainee in Epangeline for the Peter Pan Stables Inc. The daughter of Conway Hall-Manalapan has two wins and two seconds in six seasonal starts, but has banked $224,713 in 2008.

Tioga Downs would like to remind all horsemen of the free horsemen’s barbeque immediately following the races on Sunday, August 10 and Sunday, August 17. The third annual State Fair Golf Outing sponsored by Jeff Gural and Tioga’s farm sponsors will be held on Saturday, August 16, with a start time of 9:30 a.m. at Tioga Country Club located in Nichols, New York. To sign up for the golf outing please call Dustin Ross at (607) 699-7657 or e-mail dross@tiogadowns.com.