Sunday afternoon at Tioga Downs (post time 1:30pm) will feature the $184,000 Roll With Joe open pace and the $158,000 Artiscape open mare pace.
In the Roll With Joe, the Ron Burke entry of Sweet Lou and Foiled Again have been installed as the 5-2 morning line favorites. The most noteworthy story line behind the powerful entry is that for the first time since the Burkes purchased Foiled Again, Yannick Gingras will be in the race, but will be sitting behind someone else. Gingras has opted to drive Sweet Lou in the Roll With Joe on Sunday at Tioga, leaving the driving duties on quadruple millionaire, Foiled Again, to Matt Kakaley. Kakaley is no stranger to the winner’s circle however, and captured the 2012 edition of the Roll With Joe with Clear Vision for Ron Burke over his stable mate Foiled Again. Clear Vision however is not back to defend his title this year, but a field of ten, and quite possibly the best field of ten ever assembled at Tioga Downs will go to the post in race 8 on Sunday afternoon.
Golden Receiver, who makes his way back to Tioga Downs where his racing career began under the care of Nina Simmonds of Binghamton, who still co-owns part of Golden Receiver. The 8-year old son of Village Jove-Royal Gold has been given the nod as 3-1 second choice after a disappointing 7th place finish in last weeks TVG Free For All series. Usual pilot, Tim Tetrick, will do the driving for Mark Harder and one would highly doubt that early speed is not in the cards for Golden Receiver.
Betterthancheddar and George Brennan will make their Tioga Downs’ debut on Sunday after the duo finished second in the Molson Pace at Western Fair. He has been listed as 5-1 on the morning line, but anyone who watched the Molson Pace last week will certainly be filtering some money his way. The pair was locked in the two hole in the Molson and never had any racing room in the stretch, but had plenty of horse left right through the wire. The 5-year old son of Bettor’s Delight – Lady Ashlee Ann won nine of eleven starts last year and $800,000 before being sidelined for the year in mid-September.
By: Dustin Ross
