Tioga Downs - With a break
in the Sires Stakes schedule in both New York and Pennsylvania, the
Tompkins-Geers stakes for three-year-old pacers has attracted a
bounty of both fillies and colts to race at Tioga Downs on Sunday, July 2.
Twenty six fillies were
entered and split three ways as races four, six and eight on the card each
for a purse of over $25,000.
Trainer Linda Toscano returns with
her trio of talented New York bred fillies, all of whom won a division of the
Geers stake at two and went on to race in the NYSS freshman finals.
While Toscano's World Apart is
defending her Geers title, Breeders Crown winner Someomensomewhere is the focus
of the first division as she searches for her freshman form for trainer Jimmy
Takter. The winner of over a half million dollars changed hands privately over
the winter and now races for the interests of Diamond Creek Racing and ABM
Stable with Jimmy Marohn, Jr driving from post four.
Planet Rock must overcome post
nine for driver Mike Simons as she seeks her first win of the season in
what looks to be a wide open race six. The Rock N Roll Heaven lass earned
more than $200,000 in 2016 for Linda and owner Ken Jacobs and has been
second in her last two NYSS events.
The third member of the Jacobs and
Toscano returning winners is Robin J (PP #5 Scott Zeron), another of
last season's top Empire State fillies. She got her first score of the new
season in a division of the Excelsior program at Buffalo in a speedy 1:54.4,
which may signal her return to top form.
The seventeen pacing colts split
into two $35,000 divisions carded as races three and seven with owner Jeff
Snyder sending a formidable pair of homebreds into battle.
Mac's Jackpot (PP#5 Jim Marohn,
Jr) has faced the top level colts at both two and three and won a division
of the Grand Circuit Somebeachsomewhere stake on June 1. After being
narrowly eliminated from the NA Cup final he was beaten just a head
in the consolation for trainer Jim Campbell. The career winner of over $163,000
finds a bit of class relief in the Geers on Sunday.
Mac Attack was lightly raced at two
but has been maturing quickly against overnight stock for
trainer Mark Siva and shows a solid line against tough PASS competition on June
1. He'll have to overcome the far outside post nine for Marohn to get the job
done in this one.
The fun starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
