Tioga Downs: Rookies meet up in Tompkins-Geers Stakes events

Driver David Miller was victorious in three of the eight Tompkins-Geers Stakes divisions for 2-year-olds that were staged on Friday night at Tioga Downs.

Miller teamed up with trainer Nifty Norman and two daughters of Trixton for a sweep of the filly trot divisions. Evident Beauty, who was making her career debut, was their first winner as she worked out a pocket trip and came on to win her $28,750 Tompkins Memorial split in 1:58, and then Big Weezy took the other $29,250 grouping in 1:59 1/5 after making front going to the half.

Zero Tolerance was very impressive for Miller and trainer Joe Holloway in the second $30,000 Geers for pacing fillies, winning in 1:52 1/5 and just missing the track record by a fifth of a second. The daughter of Heston Blue Chip brushed to the front on the way to the half-mile marker and didn't look back, winning easily as the 2-5 favorite.

Tim Tetrick also had a Tompkins-Geers driving double, snagging a $28,650 Tompkins split for colt trotters with Jim Campbell-trained Chapter Fashion in 1:56 1/5 and a $25,200 Geers for pacing colts with Flameproof Hanover, a three-quarter brother to defending Little Brown Jug winner Filibuster Hanover, in 1:54 3/5 for trainer Brett Pelling.

Upsets were the rule in the remaining Grand Circuit Stakes contests for the night, with Cub Fan (Marcus Miller / Erv Miller) winning the first $25,200 Geers for pacing colts in 1:53 1/5 at odds of 19-1, Surreality (Corey Callahan / Mark Harder) scoring in the first $29,500 Geers for pacing fillies in 1:54 3/5 at odds of 10-1, and Alternative Fact (Ray Schnittker trainer/driver) annexing the second Tompkins for colt trotters in 1:55 3/5 at odds of 14-1.