by James Witherite, Tioga Downs
racing media
Fireyourguns unstoppable in
Tioga open; annual Scholarship Race held
Nichols, N.Y. -- After letting
the dust settle through a :26.3 first quarter, Fireyourguns ($3.70) was sure to
make good on a 4-5 promise, kicking clear of his five rivals in Sunday (June 7)
afternoon's $14,000 Open Pace at Tioga Downs.
Fresh off a decisive win at
Buffalo, the 6-year-old American Ideal gelding tracked early leavers Believe
This Bob (Dan Clements) and That'll Be the Rei (Jim Marohn, Jr.) before
vacating the pegs, working clear of them with a circuit to go. He
controlled the terms throughout, sprinting off through a :26.4 third
quarter--but only opening up a little bit of ground as Believe This Bob worked
to keep the pocket closed. At the top of the stretch, Fireyourguns began
increasing his margin, ultimately pulling clear by 3-1/4 lengths for a
resounding 1:49.2 victory under minimal encouragement from Aaron Byron.
That'll Be the Rei rallied late to take second, as Believe This Bob tired off
his chasing effort to finish third.
Trainer Terence McClory shares
ownership of Fireyourguns with Jennifer and Robert Lowe.
Earlier in the day, Tioga Downs
hosted their annual Scholarship Race, made possible by the generosity of the
Harness Horse Breeders of New York State and the Southern Tier Harness
Horsemen's Association. Five local high school seniors joined local
horsemen in double-seated jog carts for the 5/8 mile exhibition event.
Adam Layman of Tioga Central High School (teamed with Dan Clements) won the
race with Diamond Princess, sweeping three-wide in the final yards to prevail
in 1:15. His victory earned him $3200 toward his studies of Engineering
Science at SUNY Broome. In all, the five participating students shared
$9700 in scholarship funds.
Racing returns to Tioga Downs
on Friday (June 12) evening, with post time scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Eastern
time.
