This past Sunday afternoon held a few firsts for Tioga Downs in Nichols, New York. It featured the track's first-ever sub-1:49 mile, and also held its first High School Scholarship race for five high school seniors from the local area
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The students worked on three separate occasions with trainers from the Tioga Downs backstretch, and then teamed up with drivers on Sunday afternoon between Races 2 and 3 for their dash for cash.
Teamed up in double-seated jog carts, the students raced one time around the five-eighth’s mile track, and it was a photo finish at the wire, as all five students were within a length and a half of one another.
Hannah Allford (from Athens Are High School) was teamed up with Phil Fluet. The pair came in first place, and thus received a $3,000 scholarship.
Katherine Cybulak (Sayre High School), with Mike Deters, came in second and earned a $2,000 scholarship to further her education.
Martha 'Mattie' Vandewall (Waverly High School), with Tyler Freese, earned a $1,200 scholarship for finishing third.
Mary Goodspeed (Tioga Central High School) and Corey Braden finished fourth and earned an $800 scholarship.
Kaylee Goodrich (Owego Free Academy) and Edgar Clarke finished fifth and will receive a $500 scholarship.
Tioga Downs would like to thank each participating High School, the horsemen at Tioga Downs that helped with the event, the Harness Horse Breeders of NYS, and the STHHA (Southern Tier Harness Horsemen’s Association).
(Tioga)