Velocity McSweets (Mike Merton) led to a first quarter of :27.1. HP Sissy (Wally Hennessey) took over as they went by the stands for the first time before hitting the half in :56.2.
Truth And Liberty ($5.10), who is owned by Fairy Horsemother Stables and trained by Simons, battled HP Sissy all the way around the final turn. Truth And Liberty had a short lead as they hit three-quarters in 1:23.4. HP Sissy would battle back to re-claim the lead at the top of the stretch. Truth And Liberty finally shook loose in mid-stretch and held off a late charge by second place finisher Velocity McSweets to win in a seasonal best of 1:51.4. Northern Dali (Jim Meittinis) was third best.
Truth And Liberty is a 7-year-old mare by Total Truth. It was her third win this season and her 37th career victory.
Mike SImons also trained and drove Oneida Blue Chip ($5.80) to a victory on the night.
Driver Jim Taggart Jr. and trainer Gary Messenger combined for two wins during the card. They got their wins with Filly Forty ($6.40) and Classic Can Dream ($8.40).
Tioga Downs returns to live racing on Saturday (May 25) with a 10 race card starting at 6:15 p.m.
For more information go to www.tiogadowns.com.
