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 .

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.

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.

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Two-year-old pacing colts and geldings made their first stakes appearances Monday (July 6) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, contesting three $30,000 divisions of their Pennsylvania All-Stars event. The Sweet Lou – Captiva Island colt Hunteron Bred, Born & Sold Gobstopper became the only successful stakes winning favorite on Monday when he defeated Hard Four in 1:54.1 for his first winning mile. Gobstopper tailed Hard Four, who came uncovered after early splits of :28.3 and :58.2 before getting a short lead by the 1:26.4 three quarters; the winner then paced his individual last quarter in :27.1 to catch the game first-over by a head. Anthony Napolitano was in the sulky for trainer Michael Deters and owner Rick Berks.

Hollywood Casino at The Meadows welcomed the start of three Stallion Series divisions for 2-year-old trotting fillies. Sitting third through a pedestrian three-quarters in 1:30.4, Dunn moved Honky Tonk Baby to the outside, avoided confusion in the stretch, and the Julie Miller trainee trotted home in :28.4 to capture the third Stallion Series division. Willow Oak Racing LLC of Tennessee bred and owns the daughter of Greenshoe .

Washington, PA — The Friday (June 26) harness racing card at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows gave racing fans a featured attraction in the Currier & Ives Trot for 3-year-old colts and geldings, along with a glimpse of the future in two Pop-Up Series divisions for 2-year-old pacing fillies. Hunterton Bred, Born & Sold Endurance lived up to his name in the $90,675 Currier & Ives for 3-year-old colt trotters, overcoming post 9 in the 10-horse field to establish a stakes record with a 1:52.4 victory.  Unhurried early, Endurance and regular driver Andy McCarthy avoided the brisk early fractions and settled mid-pack. When Hamlet Hall moved first-over, McCarthy followed at the three-eighths, but stalled cover left Endurance three-wide approaching the five-eighths. As the leaders began to tire, Endurance and McCarthy found room along the rail and held off Hamlet Hall to secure the victory. Endurance overcame a wide draw and an overland trip en route to his stakes-record 1:52.4 performance in Friday’s Currier & Ives for sophomore male trotters. Chris Gooden photo. A 3-year-old son of Captain Corey , Endurance now owns nine wins in 12 starts and has earned more than $750,000 for trainer Chris Beaver and owners Super Endurance Stable, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming and Mark Moger.