Bond, Levine have stats on their side

New York Racing Association regulars James Bond and Bruce Levine have done exceptionally well when they have shipped horses to Finger Lakes this season. Collectively, the two trainers are 11 for 22, including a win by the Bond-trained Cool Paradigm in last weekend's Niagara Stakes.

Bond and Levine will send out prime contenders Zipperoo and Grand Refer in Sunday's $50,000 Ontario County, a six-furlong stakes restricted to 3-year-old New York-breds.

Zipperoo, who will break from the rail under John Grabowski, has been in front at the first two calls of all but one of his five starts. Bond, 9 for 17 at Finger Lakes this season, will add blinkers to Zipperoo's equipment for his first start since early May.

Because his only victory came in January, Zipperoo gets in light at 115 pounds, seven less than his chief rival, Grand Refer.

The Levine-trained Grand Refer, who will start next to Zipperoo in post 2 under John Davila Jr., also does his best running on the lead. He won three in a row at Aqueduct early in the year before finishing off the board in his first attempt against open company in his most recent start on May 26.

Levine is 2 for 5 with his Finger Lakes ship-ins in 2007, and just missed having a third winner by a nose. Over the past two seasons, Levine is 4 for 6 locally with horses returning from a layoff of between 31 to 60 days, including Doll Baby, winner of last year's Niagara.

The horse with the two best recent Beyer Speed Figures is Smash 'Em Sammy, who shortens up after pairing up 84s going seven furlongs and a mile last month at Belmont Park. Smash 'Em Sammy's trainer, Scott Schwartz, is winless in 14 sprint starts at Finger Lakes over the past five years, however.

Two months ago, Indian Camp finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Chief's Lake, the horse who has won the first two legs of the Big Apple Triple for New York-breds. Indian Camp returns just eight days after finishing last of nine in the New York Derby. Jeremiah Englehart, Indian Camp's trainer, is just 1 for 20 with horses going from routes to sprints the past five years.