Tioga: Atlanta meets Manchego on big afternoon of stakes racing Sunday

Tioga Downs will host the Grand Circuit Crawford Farms FFA Trot and Joie De Vie FFA Mare Trot stakes this Sunday at 1:00 PM along with eliminations for the Empire Breeders Classic.

The $148,000 Crawford Farms drew a field of six that includes the venerable 2015 Hambletonian champ Pinkman as well as winner of last week's Vincennes trot on Hambo Day, Mission Accepted.

Eight top trotting mares will contest the $132,000 Joie De Vie led by the prolific 2018 Hambletonian winner Atlanta (post 6) who will face the streaking Manchego (post 2) on Sunday.

Horses for both races are required to report to the Stakes Barn at Tioga by 8:00 pm on Saturday.

Also scheduled for the Sunday card are the eliminations for the Empire Breeders Classic for pacing fillies and colts.

With just nine fillies declared for the race, there is no elimination needed for that division and they will all go straight to the $232,700 final on Sunday, August 18.

They are listed by post position here:

1. JK American Beauty

2. Fool Me Again

3. DD Delicious

4. Zero Tolerance

5. St Somewhere

6. Gia's Surreal

7. Brooklyn Lilacs

8. Hurrikane Norakane

9. Topville Angelina

The colt stake attracted 13 and a pair of $12,500 elimination races will go on Sunday afternoon with the $238,200 final next Sunday. The standout elimination is the second (race 7), which serves as a rematch between Hickfromfrenchlick and Shake That House, who battled it out on August 4 at Batavia Downs.

-edited release (Tioga)