by harness publicists across North America

Friday’s (July 30) Racing Roundup features results stories from Tioga Downs, Scioto Downs, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway and Batavia Downs.

Lucy Lucy tastes victory again at Tioga

Fred Brown photo

Lucy Lucy won Friday night’s feature at Tioga.

Lucy Lucy tasted victory once again in Tioga’s feature the $15,000 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap pace on Friday night at Tioga Downs. Anthony Napolitano picked up the catch drive and settled Lucy Lucy in fourth as Biggest Big Bertha (Luke Plano) took the field through fractions of 28.3 and 57.3. Just past the half Napolitano tipped Lucy Lucy first over and had the leader collared as the field headed three-quarters in 1:25.3. Lucy Lucy cleared to the front in the final turn under minimal Napolitano urging and easily held off a late charge from All Spirit (Jim Marohn Jr.) to win clear by two lengths. It was the sixth win in twenty starts for the 6-year-old daughter of Tough Sir-Small Change from the Michael Deters Stable for owner Jay Sears.

— Dustin Ross

Scioto Downs
Shell I Attack attacked at the start of the Friday night feature at Scioto Downs and made every post a winning one for driver J.D. Wengerd. She scored over the track’s best filly and mare pacers in 1:55. Favored Shell I Attack shipped in from The Meadows and won her second race in 24 tries this year for owner-trainer Jim Kiesel of Litchfield, Ohio. After the race Kiesel said it was the first time in many races that Shell I Attack cut all the fractions in a mile.

Saratoga Gaming and Raceway
The “August Fun” Trotting Series got underway on the final weekend of July at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Friday night and Howd That Feel stole the show. The Matt Butcher Jr trainee had just one local start to his credit before competing in Friday’s $20,000 first leg of the Free-For-All Trotting Series. In that start, the 4-year-old closed in a final half of :56.2 to record the impressive win three weeks ago. On Friday, Howd That Feel and Brian Cross would move right out to the lead from their inside post and would not look back. The Muscles Yankee trotter had to turn back the race’s favorite Scorpion Moon before clocking a 1:55.4 win, matching the mark set as fastest for any trotter at Saratoga thus far this year. Other winners of the first leg of the series on Friday were McCoy (Wally Hennessey), who upset the 1-5 favorite Prime Interest in the final stride, Neighsay Hanover (Jay Randall), who won his local debut and The Windsurfer A (Darren Hancock), who won for the first time since coming to New York after hitting the board in four straight opens heading into Friday night’s series.

Batavia Downs
Trotting to victory in Friday’s $9,000 feature was Yonkers invader Heaven And Hall with Ray Fisher Jr. at the lines, doing the mile in 1:59.4. Mighty Looker and Kevin Cummings were in for the place, while Hello Carlo with Jack Flanigen made the $152 trifecta. The fractions were 28.4, 58.4, and 1:29.3, respectively. The early stages of the mile was all Hello Carlo and Jack Flanigen who took on all comers but the race was won at the half when the veteran Fisher Jr. was able to find the 2-hole with Heaven and Hall and they simply bided their time in the pocket until angling out at the top of the stretch to score a one-length win. Kevin Cummings and Mighty Looker threatened along the passing but had to settle for second. Heaven and Hall is a 7-year-old gelding by Angus Hall. Mark Ford of Campbell Hall owns him and Steven Weaver is the trainer.