HBPA Stakes, Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial top final card of Presque Isle meet

Presque Isle Downs closes its 100-day meet with a pair of $100,000 stakes Thursday evening.

The eight-race card at the Pennsylvania track is highlighted by the HBPA Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile and 70 yards, and the Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Stakes for 2-year-olds going 6 1/2 furlongs. First post for the card is 5:25 p.m. Eastern.

The HBPA has drawn a field of 12, including three who have won a stakes this year. Gamble’s Ghost comes off a 2 1/4-length victory in the Belle Mahone Stakes at Woodbine. Trained by Josie Carroll, Gamble’s Ghost, 4, won a graded stakes as a juvenile and was second by a nose in the 2016 Woodbine Oaks. Woodbine shippers have performed well this meet at Presque Isle, led by Ami’s Mesa, who captured the Grade 2 Presque Isle Masters for Carroll.

HBPA entrant Imply won the Northern Fling Stakes in July at Presque Isle, making her unbeaten in two starts there. She is trained by Bernard Houghton. La Piba, trained by Brad Cox, won the West Virginia Senate President’s Cup Stakes at Mountaineer over the summer.

Cavalia finished third in the Presque Isle Masters in her most recent outing.

The lone stakes winner among the juveniles in the Dixon Memorial is Oldzfourfortytwo, who won his first two starts, including the Mark McDermott Stakes at Presque Isle. Owned and trained by Tim Girten, he must rebound after finishing fourth in an allowance last out behind Kitchen Fire, Shekky Shebaz, and Yeahiknow, all of whom are back for more Thursday. Kitchen Fire, who finished third in the McDermott for trainer Ron Potts, earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 76 for that allowance victory, the top number in the Fitz Dixon Memorial.

Stellar Truck and Drive by History have both been consistent, never finishing off the board in 11 combined starts. Drive by History is cutting back in distance for his stakes debut off a pair of optional-claiming wins at a mile. Gunny Roo won his only start, a maiden race in July on the Delaware turf. He is trained by Wesley Ward.

Thursday’s Presque Isle card also includes a pair of $33,000 allowance races for older horses, one a sprint and one a route, both featuring stakes horses. Good Bye Greg comes into the sprint allowance off four straight wins, including a 6 1/2-length tally in the Jeff Lynn Memorial Stakes at Arlington Park. He has not finished worse than second since September 2014.

The route allowance is headlined by Ghost Hunter, who won the 2016 Presque Isle Mile and finished second in this year’s edition.