by harness racing publicists across North America

The Sunday (July 24) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Tioga Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Dresden Raceway, The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Running Aces.

Believe This Bob stalks, lifts late in Tioga feature

Nichols, NY — Mary Ann Larrimore’s Believe This Bob ($5.80) enjoyed a pocket trip en route to a lifetime-best 1:49.4 victory in Sunday (July 24) afternoon’s featured $11,000 Open I Handicap Pace at Tioga Downs.

Fred Brown photo

Believe This Bob demonstrates why faith in him is warranted as he collars Fireyourguns late for his fourth Open win at Tioga Downs in six appearances.

The 8-year-old Beach Romeo gelding ceded the lead to 7-5 favorite Fireyourguns (Jim Meittinis) in the first 100 yards, enjoying a cozy pocket trip through splits of :26.2 and :55.1. On the backstretch, Believe This Bob found himself boxed as Piece of the Rock (Vinny Ginsburg) sustained first-over pressure to force a :27.2 third quarter. Fireyourguns responded in kind to turn aside Piece of the Rock at head-stretch, but Mike Simons was able to angle Believe This Bob out of the pocket to give chase upon cornering.

Ultimately, Believe This Bob lifted to the lead in the final yards, collaring Fireyourguns by half a length. Lauxmont Capri (Jim Taggart, Jr.) stayed on for third off a traffic-troubled stalking trip, another 1-1/2 lengths back.

Joe Skowyra trains Believe This Bob, now a 37-time winner and a winner in four of his last six Open events in the Southern Tier.

No one hit the 50-cent Pick-5, resulting in a carryover of $556.05 to Friday (July 29) evening’s card. First post is set for 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

— by James Witherite

Buffalo Raceway

Driver Kevin Cummings took the spotlight on closing day at Buffalo Raceway on Sunday (July 24) afternoon as he guided home five winners on the nine-race program. Cummings was the two-time defending driver’s champion at Buffalo Raceway but a broken arm in an off-track mishap early in the year put him on the sidelines for several months and thus eliminated his chances of a three-peat. But Cummings managed to climb his way up the standings once he returned and finished in third place with 95 victories despite his shortened year. Jim Morrill Jr. took the title with 131 wins. On Sunday, Cummings started the day by directing Freaky Flyer to a $58.50 victory and followed that up with wins aboard Sea Deuce ($4.20), Western ($4.40), Catch The Wave ($3.50) and Babe In The City ($8.20). Vintage Fenom and driver Denny Bucceri produced the biggest bomb of the day as the duo combined to produce a $80.50 win price. David McNeight III had a driving double while Richard Roth had two training wins. Buffalo Raceway also announced its award winners for the 2016 campaign. That Horse JD was selected the Pacer Of The Year, Noble Legend earned the Trotter Of The Year award, Morrill Jr. took Driver Of The Year honors while JD Perrin captured the Trainer Of The Year title. For more information including the latest news, simulcast schedule, promotions, race replays and results, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.

Dresden Raceway

Mark Williams is only six wins away from 5,000 lifetime victories after two more wins at Dresden Raceway on Sunday (July 24.) Williams hit career win number 4993 with Maid Of The Money in the sixth race. The Cottam teamster came first up with the 5-year-old Winstreak Hanover mare and stepped off a last quarter in :30.1 to catch Jazzie Crombie and Alex Lilley by three-quarters of a length for owner John Bell and trainer Peter Hamilton in a new lifetime mark of 2:03.1. The veteran driver moved to within six wins of 5,000 in the eighth race after bringing Rough Trade first up and chasing down Dex The Land and Tyler Borth in 2:01.3. Rough Trade is a 4-year-old Badlands Hanover gelding and is owned and trained by Frank Hinks. Brad Forward, Dennis Duford and leading driver Tyler Borth each scored two wins on the day. Borth leads the driver’s standings with 27 wins while Forward is second with 14 wins and Andy Moore is third with 13 trips to the winner’s circle. The final race day for the 2016 season is a fan appreciation day that is set for next Monday (July 25) afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. post time. The day will feature giveaways, contests and prizes as well as free hot, buttered corn on the cob for all patrons. The on-track handle today was $20,175.

Pocono

Homicide Hunter went to the lead past the quarter, then trotted successive :27.3 panels home to hold off first-over Crazshana by a half-length in the $25,000 winners-over handicap trot Sunday (July 24) night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with the final clocking of 1:51.1 missing the divisional world record for 4-year-old trotting geldings by a single tick. And with Pocono being Pocono in the five-eighth mile track category, especially on the trot, Homicide Hunter didn’t even get a track record out of the brave effort. The 1:51 standard was achieved by Wind Of The North here in 2014, and then JL Cruze in a mountain stop last season. The altered son of Mr Cantab, owned by Crawford Farms Racing, did lower his mark from the 1:51.4 he posted in winning the Meadows Maturity on June 18, and raised his bankroll to $622,013. The teaming of driver Eric Goodell and trainer Chris Oakes was a very fruitful one for both parties this weekend, as Homicide Hunter’s win at Pocono added to the three times the two paired successfully on Wiggle It Jiggleit’s Gerrity night at Saratoga 24 hours earlier. Even more remarkably, Goodell had a horse he was driving fall down while in contention at The Meadows on Monday (July 18) didn’t get back into the sulky until Friday (July 22) and after this race had posted a 14-6-2-0-.508 tally since coming back. An altered son of Crazed also accounted for the $18,000 sub-featured trot, as Crazy About Pat led at every pole under the guidance of Andrew McCarthy in recording a new mark of 1:53.1. Paul Kelley conditions the 6-year-old earner of $663,899 lifetime for the Patricia Stable.

Running Aces

The Minnesota-sired 3-year-old trotters went to post for $15,000 on the Sunday night card at Running Aces and Al Mar Bon Bon ($82.40), a filly by SOS Lunar Eclipse was dismissed at 40-1 in the wagering, despite having won 10 previous contests out of 18 lifetime starts. Sent away alertly from the inside post by driver Steve Wiseman, she had the lead at the :30 quarter call, then yielded to the outer flow just before the 1:00.1 half mile, and wound up shuffled back to fifth at the three-quarter pole in 1:28.3. From there Wiseman waited patiently for room and sent his filly through a clear path in the homestretch to trot away from the field and post her 11th lifetime win in 1:59, shaving more than six seconds off of her previous lifetime best mile. Al Mar Bon Bon is owned by Cara Hauser and trained by Alexia Kehl. Mr Jackpot (Dean Magee) was second and Margins Echo (Rick Magee) checked in third. The regular Sunday night featured $12,000 Open Handicap Pace for horses and geldings went to post as well and there would be no upsets in that contest as last week’s winner Dry Ice ($4.20), also with Steve Wiseman in the sulky, would post an impressive gate-to-wire tally in 1:53.1 as part of the favored wagering entry in the field. Despite the outside post assignment, Wiseman sent his charge sharply off the gate to secure the early lead and led through comfortable fractions of :27.3, :57.3 and 1:25.3, only facing pressure in the third quarter from Jazzmanian Devil (Mooney Svendsen) who finished second, as Dry Ice had plenty left in the tank and paced a strong final quarter of :27.3 to secure a 2-1/4 length win. I’m An Athlete (Nick Roland) was third. It was two in a row for Dry Ice and his seventh win of the season for A Piece of The Action, LLC and trainer Steve Wiseman. Wiseman completed the driving hat trick on the card with Dry Ice, having won an early race with Hot On The Pace ($3.40) in 1:56.4 , also for trainer Alexia Kehl. The next card of live harness racing will go to post on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (CDT) with a $5,000 guaranteed pool in the Late Pick-4.