by harness racing publicists across North America

The Saturday (July 16) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Scarborough Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs, The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, Saratoga and Running Aces.

Jasmine K enjoys the sweet smell of a track record at Scarborough Downs

Scarborough, ME — Jasmine K came up smelling like a rose on Saturday (July 16) as she etched her name onto the Scarborough Downs roll of honor, while equaling the track record for 3-year-old filly trotters, with an effortless 1:59.3 clocking.

Michael Newman photo

Jasmine K equals the track record at Scarborough Downs for 3-year-old filly trotters of 1:59.3.

Owned, trained and driven by Kevin Switzer of Harrington Del., the homebred daughter of Master Lavec-Visioness K tied the standard established by Bibbidi Boo during the 2015 edition of Scarborough’s Festival of Champions, and appeared quite under wraps as she extended to a 6-1/4 length margin at the wire.

The Delaware-bred sophomore apparently is thoroughly enjoying her summer sojourn in Maine, so tune in next week to see how much faster she go. This filly can outright fly.

Scarborough Downs features live harness racing with twilight cards on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with post time at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The Sunday matinees get underway at 1:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.ScarboroughDowns.com or our Facebook page.

— by Michael Sweeney

Buffalo Raceway

Whosurpal was claimed two weeks ago for $15,000 by Tessa Roland and Thomas Mazzone and the 6-year-old gelding is sure making a great impression with his new connections. After rolling to an 8-3/4 length victory last week in 1:53.3 in a $7,400 conditioned pace in his debut in the JD Perrin barn, Whosurpal stepped up in class and found the $10,000 Open Pace at Buffalo Raceway a breeze as well by coasting to an easy 2-1/4 length victory over China Dream in 1:54.4 on Saturday (July 16) night. Driven for the second straight week by Jim Morrill Jr., Whosurpal sat fourth behind the pace-setting He’s Got It (Ron Beback Jr.) to the half in :57.1. But down the backside the final time, Whosurpal was first-over and brushed to the lead without any trouble, opening up a commanding six-length advantage at the top of the lane. Midway through the stretch, Morrill Jr. throttled down Whosurpal and beat the non-threatening China Dream while Bad Fox (Lee Dahn) was third. It was the third victory in 25 starts this season for Whosurpal (Whosurboy-Galyn Seelster), a winner of $31,112 this season and $115,308 lifetime. Morrill Jr. finished the card with five victories while Todd Cummings had a double. Perrin had a training four-bagger and Roland had four trips to the winner’s circle as an owner. There’s an 11-race card set for Sunday (July 17) afternoon at 12:30 p.m. The New York Sire Stakes will be in town with the 3-year-old filly trotters to square off in a pair of $60,200 events. There will also be action in the Excelsior A and B Series. For more information including upcoming promotions, race replays, results and the latest news, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.

Tioga Downs

Prairie Fortune ($4.40) lived up to favored billing in Saturday (July 16) evening’s $11,000 Open I Trot at Tioga Downs, making a bold three-wide push through the far turn en route to a comfortably dominant win. Jim Meittinis was patient early with the 4-year-old Arapa Victory gelding, retreating to second last as Celebrity Stimulus (Fern Paquet, Jr.) strode clear to a :27.4 first quarter before yielding the pacesetting duties to Its Payday Friday (Dan Clements) with a circuit to go. Approaching race’s midpoint, Meittinis slid Prairie Fortune third-over to slipstream DC Flashback (John Cummings, Jr.) and Rossini (Scott Coulter) through middle splits of :57.2 and 1:25.4. With a quarter-mile to go, Prairie Fortune commenced a bold three-wide push, one he sustained into a mid-stretch lead with ease. Prairie Fortune drew off to defeat Its Payday Friday by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:54.3, while Rossini overcame a blind switch to save third off a stalling DC Flashback. Trainer Mike Deters co-owns Prairie Fortune–now a 19-time winner through just 33 career starts–with Laurie Poulin. In the first round of the Summer Claiming Series for pacing mares, Delta Dawn Hanover ($21.60, Jim Taggart, Jr.) and Cheyenne Patti ($15.40, Mike Merton) both upset from off the pace, capturing their respective $7,000 divisions by slim margins over the respective pacesetters. The 50-cent Pick-5 carryover for Sunday (July 17) afternoon’s card is $566.52, with the sequence beginning in the first of 13 races on the day. Post time is 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

Vernon Downs

Despite odds-on favorite Dude’s the Man making his best effort to sustain his bid after losing cover, the stakes winner could not reel in JK Panache ($9.70), who flaunted a strong late turn of foot despite pressure in Saturday (July 16) evening’s featured $9,000 Open/Preferred Pace at Vernon Downs. Truman Gale used a bold middle move with JK Panache to achieve control after a :55.1 half mile, forging clear with three-eighths to go after tracking from third in the early stages. Upon assuming the lead, JK Panache faced stiff pressure from Dude’s the Man (Chris Lems) for the entirety of the far turn. After sustaining that threat through a :27 third quarter, JK Panache opened up under a drive, sprinting off by 3-1/2 lengths for a 1:49.3 triumph. Titus Seelster (Jimmy Whittemore) was all-out to claim second in the last yards over a beleaguered Dude’s the Man. Trainer David Dewhurst shares ownership of 39-time winner JK Panache with Philip Hale. For Gale, the win was one of two on the evening. John MacDonald’s natural hat trick with Avogadro Hanover ($4.20, 1:54), Dancin Thea ($10.80, 1:57.3), and Forty Carrots ($5.00, 1:52.4) earned him top driving honors on the 10-race card. Live racing returns to the Miracle Mile on Thursday (July 21) evening, with an all-stakes 12-race program featuring a $792.58 Pick-5 carryover and New York-sired 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Post time is slated for 6:45 p.m. Eastern.

Pocono

The twin $15,500 featured conditioned events on the Saturday (July 16) night card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono fell to a longshot, trotter My Love Bi, and a big favorite, pacer Bettor’s Edge, the latter’s victory coming just after heavy rains hit the racetrack. The track was fast and the temperature a balmy 87 degrees when the trotters went gateward for their feature, the second of 14 races Saturday at Pocono, and the conditions suited the Donato Hanover mare My Love Bi as she tallied in 1:53.3 and, unusually for a George Napolitano Jr.-driven horse, paid $21.20 to win. “GNap” got a :27.2 backstretch brush out of My Love Bi to clear to the three-quarters and the pair maintained the lead to the wire, with the three-year-old Cufflink Hanover next in line, 1-1/4 lengths back. Trained by Gilbert Garcia-Herrera, My Love Bi is owned by Garcia-Herrera’s son Gilbert Garcia-Owen, who just this week took charge of his father’s string racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia and already has posted a fine 10-2-1-2-.322 record in his first three days as a trainer. Pocono hosted three sub-1:50 miles on the card, and they all came while the temperature was still in the 80’s. When the rain came before the tenth race and changed the track condition to “sloppy,” there was also a further six-degree drop-off in temperature to 75. None of these factors bothered the veteran Bettor’s Delight gelding Bettor’s Edge, who raised his career bankroll to $1,846,065 with a two-length victory in 1:50.2 through the off going. Meadows star Tony Hall came over to Pocono to drive on Saturday night and made a quarter-move as the route to victory for Bettor’s Edge($2.80), who came home in :27.3 in scoring for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver-Bruscemi LLC, and M1 Stable LLC.

Saratoga

Mister Skitter (Western Terror) brought a three-race win streak into Saturday (July 16) night’s Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Don Sherman trainee had a start or two in the Open under his belt before returning to the $16,050 feature on Saturday. Jimmy Devaux piloted Mister Skitter to three consecutive wins heading into the Open try and for the fourth consecutive week moved the young pacer out to the early lead. Mister Skitter put up all the fractions and kicked away from his rivals late in the mile before stopping the timer in 1:52.1, matching his lifetime mark. Spinarama (Austin Siegelman) sat the pocket to the feature winner and won the photo for place while Panocchio (Gerry Mattison) earned the show spot. Mister Skitter returned $10.00 to win and led an exacta and triple that paid $47.60 and $315, respectively. The win also put the 4-year-old pacer over the $100,000 mark in career earnings in just his 52nd lifetime start, fifteen of which have been wins. Live racing continues on Sunday (July 17) afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee beginning at 12:15 p.m.

Running Aces

On he Saturday (July 16) night harness racing program at Running Aces, we celebrated the great Dan Patch who hailed from Savage, Minn. and set his long-standing world record of 1:55 at the Minnesota State Fair exactly 90 years ago. The Dan Patch Historical Society was on hand for the event, with winning drivers tossing t-shirts from the winner’s circle, plus drawings and other festivities. On the racetrack, Firedrake ($6.40) was sharp from gate-to-wire in the $7,000 Minnesota-sired or owned colts and geldings conditioned pace, which was one of the Dan Patch days feature races. Trainer/Driver Nick Roland sent Firedrake away alertly from post six, quickly taking the lead, and controlling the contest through fractions of :27.4, :58.1 and 1:26.2 before charging home in :29.0. That is when he began pulling away from the field with every stride in the 1:55.2 mile. This 3-year-old gelding is by Dragon Again and out of the Artsplace mare Everything’s Easy. He has now won 4 of 9 lifetime starts and is owned by Set the Pace Racing, LLC. The other Dan Patch featured pacing event was the $7,000 Minnesota-sired or wwned fillies and mares conditioned pace, and it was American Dancer ($5.60) who did not disappoint as the 9-5 favorite with driver Luke Plano in the bike. Plano got her away in the pocket from post five, and waited patiently for the stretch, where they were able to pull away from the field to win by four lengths in 1:55.0. This is a new lifetime mark for the filly by General Aidid, who is owned by Timothy Lems and trained by Robert Lems. The $15,000 3-year-old Minnesota-sired Open Pace went to Stuckey Dote ($12.80) with driver Jim Marino in the sulky in a new life’s mark of 1:55.2 for owner/trainer Merlin Van Oterloo. It was the eigth lifetime win for Stuckey Dote, and the 2000th career driving tally for driver Jim Marino. Driver Nick Roland had a big night as well as he posted a grand slam, also piloting winners Dagmar ($11.00) in 1:59.4, Bettor’s Promise ($3.80) in 1:53.3 and Mint to Cruise ($5.00) in 1:58.0 The next card of live harness racing goes to post on Sunday (July 17) night at 6:00 pm Central. Running Aces will be offering a $5,000 guarantee in the late pick-4 wager on Tuesday nights, starting this coming Tuesday (July 19) and we will be adding live racing on Wednesdays, starting on July 27th, with a 7:00 p.m. Central post.