Tioga: Cool Papa Bell, Joviality S top NYSS champions for three-year-olds

Cool Papa Bell and Joviality S, the top two finishers from last month's Hambletonian, won their respective $200,000 New York Sire Stakes finals for 3-year-old trotters on Saturday afternoon at Tioga Downs and did so in track record fashion. MGM Messenger Stakes winner Pleaseletmeknow won the colt pace, and Just Divine posted a mild upset in the filly pace.

Driven by Tim Tetrick in the colt and gelding trot final, Cool Papa Bell went first-up from fourth after the 56 3/5 half, tucked briefly into third on the last turn, and then vacated the pylons again before they turned for home. In the lane, Cool Papa Bell battled with pocket-sitter Molotov Cocktail (Brian Sears), and he was able to rally past that foe at the wire to tally by a nose in 1:51 4/5. Slay (Joe Bongiorno), who cut the fractions, wound up third.

"I was happy enough. I would have liked maybe to have sit third, but it worked out. Jim [Campbell] and I talked about it before, he's probably a little better if he's got somebody to chase down," said Tetrick. "He put in a great effort to get it done.

"Everybody that knows him knows the horse is talented. It's just got to work out for him. If some of the top, top ones have bad days, this one's here to pick up the pieces. He's getting paid doing that."

Cool Papa Bell, a Chapter Seven gelding, was bred by Belmar Racing And Breeding LLC. and is owned by Scott Farber's Runthetable Stables. Cool Papa Bell has eight wins, four seconds, and three thirds from 18 career starts, he has now earned $884,999, and he paid $4.30 to win.

"I'm very proud of the horse. He's stepped up for the right races and at the right time. He's always been a really nice horse. He's just like the perfect horse to have in the barn. He's really good mannered and everything like that," remarked Campbell. "He got an ideal trip in the Hambletonian, and he took advantage of it, and he raced a tough race today. He trotted a strong back-half.

"The plan will be probably his next start will be the Kentucky Futurity, and that will set him up for the Breeders Crown."

Joviality S (Sears) moved from second to first racing to the 55 4/5 half in the filly trot, and after clicking off three-quarters in 1:23 2/5, she pulled away in a 28 second last quarter, scoring by 7 3/4 lengths in 1:51 2/5, bettering her own track record by a fifth of a second. Valentina Blu (Bongiorno) and Bare My Soul (Dexter Dunn) completed the trifecta.

"I've got to say she's the best filly I've ever driven, no doubt," stated Sears. "She does everything right, great-gaited, has great manners, and knows what it's all about. You can't ask for more than that.

"Like I said, she does anything you want. I gave her a little encouragement down the backside, and she took off."

Marcus Melander trains Joviality S, a daughter of Chapter Seven, for owner Courant Inc., whose AM Bloodstock Inc. bred the filly. Joviality S has a record of 18-3-1 from 23 lifetime tries, and has now banked $1,777,768. She paid $2.10 to win as the 1-9 favorite.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

In the colt and gelding pace, Pleaseletmeknow (Matt Kakaley) went first-over out of fifth in the second quarter and overtook Seven Hundred (Jim Morrill Jr.) for the top spot beyond the 56 3/5 half. Pleaseletmeknow then kept Shake It (Braxten Boyd) at bay to the 1:23 3/5 three-quarters before he kicked home in 27 3/5 to defeat Seven Hundred by three lengths in 1:51 3/5. Roll With The Flow (David Miller) checked in third.

"We qualified him at Pocono, and he was really good, just gave him a little tightener for today," offered Kakaley. "With the eight-hole, I just wanted to get him involved and see what everybody else was doing.

"My horse, he's going to give a good effort even if I would have been left first-over. It looked like Jimmy wanted to follow me, so when I came, I just brushed him to the lead. He was super from there."

An American Ideal gelding, Pleaseletmeknow is trained by Travis Alexander for owner/breeder Fiddler's Creek Stables LLC. This was Pleaseletmeknow's 11th victory from 18 lifetime appearances, he has now put away $522,194, and he paid $3.50 to win as the favorite.

Valar Dohaeris (Mark MacDonald) put up opening-half fractions of 26 2/5 and 55 2/5 in the filly pace and then battled in a 26 1/5 third quarter with a pocket-pulling Gotthegreenlight (Jason Bartlett). Valar Dohaeris won the battle over Gotthegreenlight and fought her off, but Just Divine (Jordan Stratton) was fresh from second-over and surged by Valar Dohaeris in the stretch to score by a pair of lengths in 1:49 3/5. Valar Dohaeris held second over A Girl That Twirls (Morrill Jr.).

"Valar Dohaeris is a very tough horse to get by on the front. She had beat us the last time we were here, but my horse was just really peaking coming into this race. Hurricane, the groom, he's done a great job with her. That's his princess. He's really, really cares for her."

The victorious Huntsville filly was bred by Steve Jones and is trained by Ron Burke for owners W.J. Donovan, Craig Henderson, Joe Sbrocco, and Purnel & Libby LLC. She made her sixth appearance in the winner's circle, has now pocketed $383,410, and returned $16.40 to win as a 7-1 offering.