by harness racing publicists across North America

The Saturday (Aug. 5) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Batavia Downs, Tioga Downs, The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, Vernon Downs, Saratoga Raceway, Kawartha Downs and The Meadows.

Fireyourguns is peerless at Batavia Downs

Batavia, NY—Fireyourguns made sure everyone watching knew who the best pacer is western New York is when he destroyed the field in the $10,000 Open Handicap pace at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Aug. 5).

Paul White photo

Fireyourguns set a new seasonal mark of 1:52.4 with his win on Saturday at Batavia Downs.

Fireyourguns (Mike Caprio) left like a rocket and never looked back. He cut fractions of :27.2, :56.1 and 1:24.2 before rounding the far turn and opening up five lengths while cruising home to win in 1:52.4, which was a new seasonal mark.

It was the fourth win in nine starts this year for Fireyourguns ($4.30) and it pushed his earnings to $21,900 for owners Jennifer and Robert Lowe and Terence McClory, who also trains the winner.

In the co-featured $9,000 Open II pace, Im So Handsome (Jim Morrill Jr.) came from off the pace late to close down the lane and catch front-running Itsonlyrocknroll A and win by a neck in 1:55.3. Gerry Sarama trains the winner for Mike Torcello.

Driver Jim Morrill Jr. scored a grand-slam Saturday night winning with Im So Handsome (1:55.3, $5.00), Chickenwithabanjo (1:54.3, $11.20), Spring Terror (1:55.3, $4.90) and Mr. Bricks (1:58.1, $3.40).

Ron Beback Jr. and Ray Fisher Jr. also both had driving doubles.

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Sunday (Aug. 6) with two divisions of the NYSS for 3-year-old pacing fillies who will compete for $117,600 in purses. Post time for the first race is 1:15 p.m.

— by Tim Bojarski

Tioga Downs

Sweet Thing (Fern Paquet Jr.) drives late to capture the Tioga Downs Open Handicap Trot ($10,000), on Saturday night (Aug. 5). After the big favorite Prairie Fortune (Jim Meittinis) went off stride right after the start, Dragin The Wagon would take the early lead and control all the early fractions, :28.1, :57.1, 125:2. Winding Hill (Jimmy Whittemore) would make the first move breathing down the neck of Dragin the Wagon (Angus Hall), as they battled down the stretch. Sweet Thing (Chocolatier), who is owned by Robert Budding and trainer Homer Hochstetler, would somehow squeeze through to the two leaders to win in 1:54.2. Dragin The Wagon would hold on for second with Winding Hill (Here Comes Herbie) settling for third. Sweet Thing would win for the third fourth time this season and the 15th time in her career. Leading driver, Mike Simons and leading trainer Mike Deters would each add two wins to their total. Simons who now has 61 wins on the season won with Ifya Start Me up ($6.60) and Vraka Hanover ($32.40). Deters now has 23 wins on the season. He teamed up with driver Jim Meittinis for victories with Prairie Cowgirl ($6.90) and Katch Kanna ($13.60). Tioga Downs returns to action Sunday afternoon (Aug. 6) with a 10-race card starting at 1 p.m. For more information go to www.tiogadowns.com.

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono

Luck Be Withyou has been in love with the red clay surface of The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono for going on four years now, and the 6-year-old son of Western Ideal continues to show no sign of passing ardor, winning Saturday’s $25,000 winner-over handicap pace in 1:48.4, with the 2015 Franklin Final winner holding off the 2017 Franklin champion Keystone Velocity by a nose. George Napolitano Jr. hustled Luck Be Withyou away quickly from the outermost post seven, and with Napolitano’s brother Anthony hustling Polak A away at high speed to grab the two-hole, Keystone Velocity was guided into third early by Simon Allard as Luck Be Withyou posted “leisurely” fractions of :26.3 and :55.1.The pace quickened to a :27 rate during quarter three (1:22.1) – then quickened even further in the last panel, with Luck Be Withyou stepping his last fraction in :26.3. Keystone Velocity, three lengths out at the stretch call, flew up the Pocono Pike, but this night’s rally came up a nose shy, with Polak A a good third. The win was the 16th in the 25-start career of Luck Be Withyou at Pocono, which began when he won his Breeders Crown event here age two, and has continued to the point that he has taken his seasonal mark here all five of his racing years, including his 1:47.4 speed badge last year. Trained by Chris Oakes, Luck Be Withyou has now amassed $1,439,791 for owner John Craig, with his Pocono plunder alone approaching three-quarters of a million. North America’s leading trainer Ron Burke is not often associated with the word longshot, but Burke led the local conditioners colony here last year with four $50-plus wins, and exactly four hours and 45 minutes after his Check Six posted a $77.00 upset in the Sam McKee Pace on Hambletonian Day, Mach On The Beach, another Burke trainee, crossed the wire first at Pocono to return $73.40. Two-year-old colt pacers take to the Downs’ oval for the next two nights in the third preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania-sired series, with Stallion Series horses going in five cuts on Sunday and Sire Stakes stock, including the exciting Done Well, in three divisions Sunday.

Vernon Downs

Oh My Joepa (John MacDonald) would take the Vernon Downs featured pace ($7,500) on Saturday night (Aug. 5). MacDonald would win three more on the night giving him 13 for the last three nights at Vernon. Golden Gun (Shawn McDonough) would take them to the first quarter in :27.0. After that it was all Oh My Joepa (Rocknroll Hanover), owned and trained by MacDonald, the 9-year-old gelding would follow with fractions of :56.0, 1:23.4, 1:52.0 to win by three lengths. Appolo Seelster (Truman Gale) would come up late to finish second best. Calvin B (Bret Crawford) was third. Oh My Joepa ($3.20) would win for the 12th time this season and for the 43rd time in his career. MacDonald would also would win with Forever Effie ($4.30), Blended Whiskey ($3.10), and All Stienam ($4.60). Vernon Downs returns to live action on Thursday (Aug. 10) with an 11-race card starting a 6:45 p.m. For more information go to www.vernondowns.com.

Saratoga Raceway

YS Lotus (If I Can Dream) was caught in the fastest mile of the year at Saratoga Casino Hotel two weeks ago when the Rene Allard trainee finished fifth in an Open Pace that went in an incredible 1:49.2. Last week, the 6-year-old pacer finished third in the $14,000 Winners Over at the Spa and on Saturday night was the 3-5 betting favorite in the feature. Billy Dobson blasted YS Lotus out to the early lead but the favorite paid a stiff price to get to the top, posting a first quarter of :26.4 while racing parked out for the majority of it. The half didn’t bring much of a slow down as the public’s choice cruised through a half in :54.4 before trying to pace away from his rivals after three quarters in 1:22.1. YS Lotus built enough of a lead that when Panocchio (Gerry Mattison) surged late, it would prove to be too little too late. YS Lotus stopped the timer in 1:51.1 for his third win in 10 seasonal tries. Panocchio came up second best while He’s A Lock (Wally Hennessey) closed sharply for third. Last week, the finish in the Winners Over was Panocchio on top with He’s A Lock second and YS Lotus third. This week, the same trio comprised the triple but it was Allard’s YS Lotus who proved best. Live racing resumes on Tuesday evening at Saratoga featuring a Pick-Five carryover of $4,563. First post time is set for 7:05 p.m.

Kawartha Downs

It was a night of doubles at Kawartha Downs where three of the winning horses were recording their second straight victories at the Fraserville oval. Nick Boyd and Sophie Blu started the trend in the first of nine races as they went gate to wire to score in 1:59.3. Trained by Densie Caruana for owner Carwin Stables of Orono, Ont., the winner is a 7-year-old daughter of Santanna Blue Chip. In the sixth race Brett MacDobald and Slight Touch were also front end winners for the second straight week, scoring in 1:55.2. A 7-year-old gelding by Badlands Hanover trained by Anne Marie Turenne, Slight Touch is owned by Matthew, Michael and Alex McDonald of Edwards, Ont. Who Dey gave himself and MacDonald the double as they rolled to a two-length 1:56.3 win in the ninth and final race on the card. Drew Smyth owns and trains the winner, a 13-year-old son of Mach Three. Racing returns to Kawartha next Saturday night with the track’s only Ontario Sires Stakes of the season, the 2-year-old trotting colts. Post time is 7 p.m.

The Meadows

Hawk’s Red Chief followed the live cover of Knocking Around, then kicked by him in deep stretch to capture Saturday’s $20,000 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Hawk’s Red Chief was last in the field of seven when Mike Wilder tipped him off the cones to follow the first-over Knocking Around. The 6-year-old I Scoot Hanover-Fancy Trouble gelding went wide in the lane to down the game Knocking Around by a neck in 1:51.3, with early leader Dapper Dude third. Ron Burke trains Hawk’s Red Chief, who extended his career bankroll to $220,777, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Michelle Yanek. Dave Palone and Wilder each piloted three winners on the 13-race card. Elsewhere on the program, Gallery Opening snapped a two-season losing streak of 37 races when he found late room and scored at 115-1 for Brady Brown and trainer Gary Johnston. The upset triggered a carryover and a $12,500 pool guarantee for Monday’s Pick-4. That card features a $60,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series stake for freshman filly pacers. First post is 1:05 p.m.