Tioga Downs held its second week of training for five local area high school students, who will take part in the track's fourth annual Scholarship Race on Sunday, June 9.
Participants from Elmira South Side, Newark Valley, Owego Free Academy, Tioga Central, and Vestal High Schools are in the process of learning some of the tricks of the trade from some of the top drivers and trainers at Tioga Downs. Corey Braden, Jason MacDougall, Judy Lanpher, Fern Paquet Jr., and Phil Fluet have all volunteered their time to assist in helping the high school students get a better understanding of the sport of harness racing and some of the daily care that goes into the horses.
The race will take place on Sunday, June 9 at Tioga Downs in between the live races, which will also feature the $200,000(e) Roll With Joe Open Pace and its counterpart the $200,000 Artiscape Pace for Open mare pacers. The students will ride in a double seated jog cart with a professional driver or trainer, who they have learned from for three weeks.
Scholarships for the event will be given out in the order of finish of the race -- 1st place: $3,000, 2nd place: $2,000, 3rd place: $1,200, 4th place: $800, and 5th place: $500. The sponsors helping support the fourth annual Scholarship Race are the Harness Horse Breeder’s of New York State, Southern Tier Harness Horsemen’s Association, New York Sire Stakes, and Tioga Downs.
(Tioga Downs)