from harness publicists across North America

Friday’s (July 3) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Buffalo Raceway, The Meadows, Tioga Downs and Saratoga Casino and Raceway.

Daily Double pays $1,603 at Buffalo Raceway

Hamburg, NY — It didn’t take long for Buffalo Raceway to start off the Fourth of July weekend with a bang as the Early Daily Double on Friday night returned a whopping $1,603 for a $2 wager.

Robin Would (Jim McNeight) kicked off the first leg with a $15.40 victory while Ron Beback Jr. steered KC Colt to a stunning $41.40 win from the eight post to produce the big return on the 1-8 daily double combination.

Beback finished the night with a triple as he was also behind Caviart Cara ($9.10) and Diditagain Hanover ($3.70).

The countdown has begun for driver Kevin Cummings as he attempts to break Buffalo Raceway’s all-time record for wins in a season. Cummings had a three-bagger to push his seasonal total to 185, just 29 wins shy of Jim Morrill Jr.’s mark of 214 set in 2006. He scored with Terracina AS ($5.10), Sleep Talker ($4.00) and Governor Victory ($5.10).

Besides winning the opener on the card, McNeight followed that up later in the program, posting a victory with Cashmandu ($5.50) and Yankovitch Hanover ($9.10) to complete the hat trick.

The racing continues over the weekend with a 12-race card set for Saturday evening while a 13-race program will be presented at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

— Brian Mazurek

The Meadows
Stucklikeglue zipped to the front for Jim Pantaleano and, taking advantage of the misfortunes of two top contenders, rolled to victory in Friday’s $20,000 Filly & Mare Not Listed Preferred/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Stucklikeglue was battling Certified Ideal for the early lead when Certified Ideal broke stride, taking herself and Do Me Honor out of the race. Stucklikeglue might not have needed the help, but the 4-year-old daughter of Dragon Again-Ruth Plumsted fully exploited the situation, defeating the first over Jaded Dream by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:52. The pocket-sitting Phone Terror finished third. Doug Hinklin trains Stucklikeglue, who extended her career bankroll to $197,745 for Parent Racing Stable. It was one of three wins on the 12-race card for Pantaleano.

Tioga Downs
Trailing her four rivals through a dawdling pace, Mach It A Par ($3.00) made her move at the top of the stretch to pass all four of her rivals in the final sixteenth of Friday evening’s $12,000 Mares Open Pace at Tioga Downs. Owner/driver Dan Clements settled the 5-year-old Mach Three mare into her customary early spot at the rear of the field, seven lengths off pacesetter Dune In Red (Brandon Simpson) through tepid early fractions of :29 and :58.2. Mach It A Par remained at the back of the quintet even as Sherkin Hanover (Corey Braden) commenced a first-over bid on the backstretch and the pocket-sitting Southwind Trini (Jim Meittinis) chased the accelerating Dune In Red through a :27.3 third quarter. In fact, Clements wouldn’t move Mach It A Par off the pegs until the top of the stretch, storming home down the grandstand side as Dune In Red had reached her capacity in the final 70 yards. Mach It A Par passed all four of her rivals in deep stretch, just prevailing by a head in 1:54.1. Southwind Trini made a late bid up the pegs to tie Dune In Red for second, and K J’s Caroline (Jim Taggart Jr.) was an out-kicked fourth, beaten by just a long neck. Renaldo Morales III trains Mach It A Par, who scored her 12th career win. The Friday program at Tioga also saw owner/trainer Robert Gale’s Private Interview ($3.10) complete a sweep of the Tioga State Bank starter allowance series, holding clear of his eight rivals for a 1:52.4 triumph in the $10,000 final. Corey Braden wasted no time securing the lead with the 8-year-old Real Artist gelding, setting torrid early sectionals of :26.1, :54.2, and 1:22.2 before drawing clear of his eight rivals on the far turn. While he decelerated a bit late, he maintained a 3-1/4 length winning margin over pocket rival Who Dat Love (Dan Clements). CF Sting Rei (Aaron Byron) emerged from traffic in the final yards, rallying to just miss second, while Remus Blue Chip (Mike Simons) was an even fourth off a tracking trip. Jim Taggart Jr. led all drivers with three wins on the evening’s nine-race card, teaming up with Robert Lounsbury trainees Powerful Love ($3.40, 1:55.1) and Purple N Gold ($4.90, 1:53.4) as well as Gary Messenger trainee She’s So Into Me ($6.50, 1:59.4). Live racing returns to Tioga Downs on Saturday (July 4) evening, with the nine-race Independence Day card kicking off at 6:15 p.m. (EDT).

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
Keene Olivia scored a convincing victory in Friday night’s $13,000 feature at Saratoga Casino and Raceway. The Heidi Rohr-trained mare had been a beaten favorite in three consecutive tries, though she hit the board in all three starts leading up to her try in the Spa Fillies and Mares I Handicap on Friday. Billy Dobson sat patiently off the pace with Keene Olivia (Always A Virgin) as the tempo was fast before the 4-year-old mare came charging hard late. She circled the field to prevail by close to five lengths in 1:53 for her sixth win of the season. Keene Olivia returned $7.00 to win as the race’s second choice in the wagering while besting Godiva Seelster (Wally Hennessey) who was the runner-up and Check My Pulse (Jim Devaux) who earned the show spot. Live racing continues at Saratoga on Saturday night with a first post time set for 6:45 p.m.