Columbus, OH – Just before the four $100,000 Grade 3 events at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday, storms rolled through the area, but after nearly an hour long postponement, the races did not disappoint with some exciting finishes. It was a mad dash to the wire in the Nadia Lobell for 3-year-old pacing fillies with Topville Lucky and Andrew McCarthy getting up to win in 1:50.2. I’m A Lou Lou and Tim Tetrick went to the lead midway through the first turn and set the fractions of :27, :55.4 and 1:23. Topville Lucky got the second over tow behind Sangria Summer (Brett Miller) and by the third-quarter was sitting fourth. At the top of the stretch, McCarthy fanned Topville Lucky wide to get up for her first victory of the season by a quarter length. Sangria Summer was second with Shacarri (Chris Page) coming up the passing lane to be third. “I’ve watched this mare race a lot; she’s got a lot of high speed if the trip works out,” said McCarthy after the race. “I was just lucky enough to get a decent trip in there and, you know, she did her job in the stretch.” Topville Lucky went off at 6/1 and paid $14.00 By Sweet Lou out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Warrawee Winx, Topville Lucky was a $27,000 Harrisburg purchase from Jeremy Yoder. Owned by Punisher 11 Stable, Topville Lucky now has seven wins in 10 lifetime starts and $422,000 in earnings.

Nichols, NY — Hunterton Bred, Born & Sold Fragment (Jason Bartlett) captured the $123,900 leg of New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) for sophomore colts and geldings at Tioga Downs on Saturday (July 18). Knoxville (Tyler Buter) was first to the quarter in :27.4, but Fragment ($2.24) wasted no time taking over the lead with a lap to go. On the engine, the favorite led to the half in :55.4 and cruised to three quarters in 1:23.2. As they reached the stretch, Fragment found another gear and left second second- and third-place finishers Knoxville and Fearless Partners (Colin Kelly) is his dust. Fragment stopped the clock in a lifetime best time of 1:49.3. Fragment is a 3-year-old colt by Huntsville trained by Per Engblom for owners Douglass Sipple, Peaceful Acre Farm, and Engblom Farm LLC. The victory was his third win this season and 12th career tally. Bartlett registered a driving hat trick while Dan Daley had a driving-training double. Kelly and Leon Bailey collected driving doubles and Jared Bako added a training double. Tioga Downs returns to live racing on Sunday (July 19) starting at 12:30 p.m. For more information visit www.tiogadowns.com .

Hall of Fame driver David Miller picked up the drive behind Miki And Minnie and gave the 4-year-old mare a perfect steer to capture Saturday's $100,000 Cleopatra Invitational for older pacing mares at Scioto Downs in a sizzling 1:48 3/5 mile. Sent off as the heavy favorite, Miki And Minnie got away fifth in the early stages as Always B Naughty and Austin Hanners made two aggressive moves through a 26 second first quarter to secure command. Second choice Three Times Bettor left and took a tuck in third for Chris Page. Approaching the half, Miller moved Miki And Minnie and flushed the cover of Three Times Bettor. With a half in 54 seconds, the pace picked up noticeably on the backstretch as Always B Naughty protected the lead and Three Times Bettor applied pressure, reaching three-quarters in 1:21 1/5. Miller sent Miki And Minnie three-deep late on the final turn, and the Chris Ryder-trained mare took off and rolled home powerfully. Yannick Gingras steered Louies Girl N from well back in the pack for the place spot with Three Times Bettor settling for third. It was the fifth win in seven starts this year for the Chris Ryder-trained mare owned by Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz. As the 1-5 public choice, Miki And Minnie returned $2.60 to win.

The second division, worth $55,750, saw Jula Florence ($4.66) take the victory over Wavy Xavier by a half length in 2:00.0 with the tempo setting Little By Little (Jason Bartlett) finishing in third at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday afternoon (July 15).  Little By Little was able to take the battle for early control with splits of :30.0, 1:00.4 and 1:31.0. But with a quarter mile to trot, the action picked up as Jula Florence and Wavy Xavie got into contention. Around the final bend, Jula Florence pulled to the outside while Wavy Xavie made her closing bid in the passing lane, sandwiching Little By Little. In the stretch, Jula Florence got on even terms then was able to slowly pull away to score with Wavy Xavie taking a solid second place and Little By Little finishing in third. Co-owned by the Andy Miller Stable, Inc., Windsong Stables and Domain Haven Farms, LLC, Jula Florence ( Chapter Seven -Jula Shes Magic) is conditioned by Julie Miller. The victory was worth $28,750 and pushed her career earnings to $31,750.

Oak Grove, KY — In just the second start of her career, Erv Miller trainee Hunterton Born & Sold Dame Frances fired first up on the rim to the last turn and kicked by pacesetter Banana Beach to win the $80,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) final for 2-year-old pacing fillies under wraps in a track-record 1:50.4 mile on Monday (July 13) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel. Leaving from post 6, driver Atlee Bender landed into fourth with 3-5 favorite Dame Frances while Banana Beach (driven by Ronnie Gillespie) grabbed command from an inside draw to a :26.1 first quarter. Gillespie settled on the lead but kept the pace strong to a :55 half as Bender readied his charge for an attack in the backside. Dame Frances edged off the pegs in the backstretch and punched forward to match strides with Banana Beach past three-quarters in 1:23.2 before crisply disposing of that rival in the lane while pulling clear for victory by a widening 3-1/4 lengths under a hand drive. Banana Beach held second from Sweet As Silk (Todd McCarthy) in third with Bordeaux Station (Scott Zeron) rallying from last for fourth. A filly by Pebble Beach -Coronet, Dame Frances remains unbeaten from two starts with $60,000 earned for owners Ervin Miller Stable Inc., Andy Miller Stable Inc., Stepbystep Racing and Bryn Campbell. Her 1:50.4 mile, a lifetime best, lowers the track record for 2-year-old pacing fillies set last year when Caviart Daisy won the KYSS final. She paid $3.44 to win.

Hunterton Bred, Born & Sold Midnight Drive (Dexter Dunn) found a smoother trip off a defeat in last week’s “A” division to score in the $80,000 KYSS final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings in a 1:52.4 mile on Monday (July 13) at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel. Dunn fired forward out of post 7 and found the pocket after a :27.1 first quarter when odds-on favorite Lone Cypress (Todd McCarthy) looped to the lead as Ballarddrgoldfngr (Archie Buford) chugged up the rim to challenge for the front. Lone Cypress battled with Ballarddrgoldfngr to a :55.3 half and rebuffed that rival passing three-quarters in 1:24. As Ballarddrgoldfngr retreated through the turn, Midnight Drive found clearance to angle outside and laid aim on the leader spinning for home. Midnight Drive reached the front midway down the stretch and held firmly to the finish as Bluebird Beach (Scott Zeron) swooped from near last to take second, beaten a half length. Lone Cypress settled for third and Fenway Station (Atlee Bender) hugged the pylons for fourth. Jamie Sullivan trains Midnight Drive, a 2-year-old colt by Stay Hungry -Turnoffthelights, for owners David Hamm, Glenn Phillips and Frank Chick. He won his second race from three starts, has now earned $75,000 and paid $7.88 to win.

East Rutherford, NJ – Hambletonian hopefuls Hunterton's Apex and Hunterton Bred, Born & Sold Endurance won their respective divisions of the Grade 3 Stanley Dancer Memorial, for 3-year-old male trotters, on Saturday (July 11) at the Meadowlands, both as favorites and both in 1:52. The Grade 1 Hambletonian, America’s Trotting Classic for 3-year-olds, is Aug. 8 at the Meadowlands. Eliminations, if necessary, are slated for Aug. 1 at the Big M. Apex is No. 1 in Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin’s Road to the Winning Key Farm Hambletonian rankings while Endurance entered Saturday ranked No. 4. Marcus Melander-trained Apex fought off stablemate American Power in the stretch before pulling away for a 1-1/2-length win in the second Dancer division, going for a purse of $144,650. Inexpressable finished third. Long shot Jim Beam led the field to the opening quarter in :28.3 before driver Dexter Dunn moved Apex to the top on their way to the half in :57.2. American Power made a first-over bid on the final turn and, after reaching three-quarters in 1:26, pulled even with Apex in the lane. Apex, though, came home in :26 to secure the victory. Apex turned on the jets and threw down a :26 final quarter to seal victory in his division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial. Apex, last year’s divisional Dan Patch Award winner, has won back-to-back starts since a second-place finish by a neck to American Power in his seasonal debut. The son of Walner -Mission Brief has captured eight of 12 career races and earned $1.06 million for owners Jeff Snyder, S R F Stable, and Steve Stewart. The colt was bred by the Mission Brief Stable. “I think he’s feeling better and better every week now,” Melander said about Apex. “I feel like he’s in good form at this point and I’m looking forward to the next couple weeks here. “It’s a long season and I don’t want to peak him too early. I’m very happy with how his schedule has been looking so far. I think we’ll just go straight now to the (Hambletonian) eliminations in three weeks.” Sent off as the 1-9 favorite, Apex paid $2.20 to win. In the first Dancer division, going for a purse of $145,900, driver Andrew McCarthy and Endurance posted a half-length win over It Could Be Worse with Silverstein another half length back in third. It Could Be Worse went to the front from post 7 in a :28.2 opening quarter before McCarthy put Endurance in motion from third and grabbed the lead on the way to a :57.3 half. Nix Nacken, who had been parked out from the start, pulled alongside Endurance as they reached three-quarters in 1:25.2, but Endurance turned away that challenge before keeping It Could Be Worse and Silverstein at bay through the stretch. Endurance, a son of Captain Corey -Love Session, has four wins in five starts this season for trainer Chris Beaver. He has won three in a row since a second-place finish in the Oak Grove Trotting Derby on May 16. “I was impressed (in the Oak Grove Trotting Derby); he went a really tough trip,” Beaver said. “Every race since, he was in pretty soft, but he had plenty of trot every time. Today, he was in with some good horses. He kind of had his way, but it wasn’t really his kind of trip, either.” For his career, Endurance has won 10 of 13 races and earned $848,799. The colt is owned by Super Endurance Stable, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming, and Mark Moger. He was bred by Steve Stewart and Martti Ala-Seppala. “I think he’s kind of a special colt,” Manes said. “Chris bought him and asked us if we wanted to be partners with him and he’s turned out to be far more than what we ever expected.” Sent off as the 3-5 favorite, Endurance paid $3.40 to win.

East Rutherford, NJ — Hunterton Born & Raised Nezuko Kamado S kept her undefeated sophomore season intact with a lifetime-best 1:50.1 score in the $141,900 first division of the Grade 2 Del Miller Memorial, for 3-year-old trotting fillies, on Saturday (July 11) at the Meadowlands. Scott Zeron bided his time early with Nezuko Kamado S, who landed in third as Lainey W (driven by Dexter Dunn) cleared Southwind Chaska (Tim Tetrick) to control a :27.1 first quarter. Twos-on favorite Nezuko Kamado S edged off the pegs with nine-sixteenths to go, stuck her head past Lainey W at the end of a :55.2 half, and completed her middle move before the far turn. From that moment, the Chapter Seven -Zefira Kronos IT filly was never in doubt. She coasted through a :27.3 third quarter uncontested as Leading Lady (Matt Kakaley) failed to pose a threat on the outside, and she had no trouble fending off a late bid from runner-up Southwind Chaska — who found room to take aim on the outside in mid-stretch — by a half length under just mild encouragement. Lainey W was a one-paced third. “I think she got lonely on the front,” said Anders Ström, whose Courant Inc. owns and bred Nezuko Kamado S, who has won all four of her engagements this season to date. “The driver seemed to be very happy with her.” Now a 10-time winner from 15 career starts under the care of trainer Marcus Melander, Nezuko Kamado S stamped herself as a top contender for the Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks, slated for Aug. 8, at the Big M. “She was very good last year; she did everything she had to do,” continued Ström. “She is a big, powerful mare, and she will develop as she goes along hopefully to become one of my best fillies and mares. “I’m thrilled about the future for her; I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen the rest of the season.” Nezuko Kamado S paid $3 to win.

Chester, PA – $178,654 was on the line during races for three-year-old trotting fillies Friday (July 10) afternoon with Harrah’s Philadelphia during third round preliminary action of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (two divisions) and Stallion Series (four sections). Frattina Diablo S became the only filly to post two PaSS wins in this grouping to date when she trumphed in 1:52.3. Despite not racing since her other Sires win 26 days ago, “Frattina” set fractions of :28.2, :57.1, and 1:25, then dug in to ward off persistent pocket challenger Little Road by a head with a :27.3 finishing kick. Tim Tetrick was in the sulky for trainer Tony Alagna and owners Steve Stewart and Dreamlover AB.