by harness racing publicists across North America

The Sunday (June 26) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Saratoga, Tioga Downs, Running Aces and Dresden Raceway.

Just Make Believe wins the Saratoga feature

Saratoga, NY — Just Make Believe (Kadabra) scored his second open trotting victory in the last three weeks as the John DiStefano trainee went coast-to-coast in Sunday’s (June 26) $15,000 feature at Saratoga.

Melissa Simser-Iovino photo

Just Make Believe captures his fifth win from his last seven trips to the post.

Jimmy Devaux piloted the six-year-old trotter in the 1-1/16 mile event and moved him out to the lead after an opening quarter of :27.1. Just Make Believe got a bit of a breather in the middle half but braced for the late surge from the race favorite, Boli, who came charging hard in the final quarter. Boli’s move was too little too late as he ended up second best to Just Make Believe who covered the 1-1/16 miles in 2:02.4.

Boli was the runner-up for the second consecutive time, while Stirling Cadet (Frank Coppola Jr.) earned the show spot.

Just Make Believe, who returned $7.40 to win on Sunday (June 26), scored for the fifth time in his last seven starts.

Live racing resumes on Thursday (July 30) at Saratoga with a 4:00 p.m. first post.

— by Mike Sardella

Tioga Downs

Mary Ann Larrimore’s Believe This Bob ($4.10) made all the pace en route to a 1:51.1 triumph in Sunday (June 26) afternoon’s $11,000 Open I Pace at Tioga Downs, holding off a belated rally from the rising Andreios Kardia to prevail at even money. Mike Simons wasted no time with the 8-year-old Beach Romeo gelding, sprinting clear of Theseyesrcrying (Justin Huckabone) through a :26.3 first quarter. Believe This Bob would escape pressure through splits of :55 and 1:22.2, maintaining an uncontested lead and accelerating clear on the backstretch. His biggest threat would come from the second-over Andreios Kardia (Aaron Byron), who circled three-wide in the final three-sixteenths of the mile as the first-over P L Idaho (Dan Clements) weakened after only mild gains. The :27.2 third quarter was enough for Believe This Bob to keep the other seven at bay, as he held off Andreios Kardia by three-quarters of a length. Knocking Around (John Cummings, Jr.) rallied from a rearward trip to take third, and Theseyesarecrying faded to fourth from his pocket trip. Joe Skowyra trains Believe This Bob, now a 35-time winner. In addition to Believe This Bob, Simons teamed up with Big Jer ($2.30, 1:52.3) and Lucky Man ($3.10, 1:53.2) to lead all drivers with three wins on the 11-race card. The Tompkins-Geers Stakes headline Week 9 at Tioga Downs, with 3-year-old trotters taking the spotlight on Friday (July 1) evening. Post time is slated for 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Running Aces

The Winnin Dollar (by SOS Lunar Eclipse) remained unbeaten in four starts in 2016 after Sunday’s first Race at Running Aces, the $7,500 Minnesota-Sired 3-year-old gelding trot. Heavily-favored at 1-2 in the wagering, driver Nick Roland wasted no time finding the top with his charge, and after clearing to the lead easily from post six the dynamic duo set very leisurely fractions of :30.1, 1:03 and 1:33 before charging home in :28.4 to win easily in 2:01.4. He paid $3.00. The victory was his 11th lifetime win in just 15 starts and pushes his career earnings to $37,090 for owner Jesse DeLong and trainer Justin Anfinson. The $7,500 3-year-old Minnesota-Sired filly trot went to Bombshell Betty ($3.80) for the second consecutive week . Steve Wiseman did the driving and she equaled her mark of 2:00.3 set here last week. She now sports five lifetime wins from her 15 starts. She is owned by Jesse DeLong and Tabatha Canarr and trained by Justin Anfinson. This was his third training win on the night as he swept the first three races, also winning with Just Blitzed (Nick Roland) in race two in 1:59.2, paying $3.00. The $11,000 Open Handicap Pace was the Sunday night feature and it was a thrilling contest with Ideal Art (Steve Wiseman) charging off the gate to the early lead, then yielding to Thebestofjoel (Tim Maier) past the :27.1 quarter. The lineup remained that way through the next two splits of :56.1 and 1:24.3 before the cavalry came charging down the lane. When the dust settled it was Officernagentelman (Brian Detgen) who pushed his head to the front at the wire, besting a hard charging Bettor In The Bank (Dean Magee), with Ideal Art holding third and Thebestofjoel home in fourth in the 1:53.2 mile. It was the 10th win in 25 starts this year for the 8-year-old gelding by Royal Mattjesty and pushed his seasonal bankroll to $47,875 for owners A Piece of The Action, LLC and trainer Tim Maier. The next card of live harness racing at Running Aces Casino & Racetrack will go to post on Tuesday night (June 28) at 6 p.m. (CDT).

Dresden Raceway

Tyler Borth made no mistake in Sunday’s (June 26) “Little Green Jug” at Dresden Raceway as he took Regal Beagle right to the front and went wire-to-wire for the win. Borth guided the 4-year-old Stonebridge Regal horse around the local oval in fractions of :30.2, 1:01.3, 1:32.3 for a mile time of 2:02 flat. Regal Beagle is owned by Diane and Larry Currie of Sarnia while the conditioner is Doug Currie. Ncutsnbutsncoconuts was the race time favorite but broke for driver Dennis Duford as the horses were let go. Morning line favorite Justins Deere finished second for Donnie Rankin Jr. while Country Baran and Mark Williams paid on the show ticket. Borth padded his lead as the top driver at Dresden by winning the last four races of the day.
The Ingersoll driver not only won with Regal Beagle in the eighth race but also visited the winner’s circle with Magnum Seelster in the seventh race, Gears of War in the ninth race and Kelly Rae in the 10th race. Borth now has 15 wins while Andy Moore is second with nine wins while Chris Johnston is third with five victories on the year. Moore and Johnston each scored driving doubles Sunday (June 26). Almost 800 people marched through the gate betting a total handle of $20,024. Racing continues Canada Day with a special card of racing with lots of contests and giveaways including the cutting and serving of an 8-foot cake decorated like a Canadian Flag. Post time on Friday (July 1) is 1:30 p.m