Vernon: Empire Breeders Classic up for grabs on Sunday

Tioga Downs will host the top NY state-bred sophomore pacers in Sunday's Empire Breeders Classic (EBC) finals. Purses for the EBC is funded by the Agriculture & NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund, NY Farms that stand stallions along with Tioga & Vernon Downs and payments made by the owners of the eligible horses.

Hen Party (Andy McCarthy, PP 2) is the top chick in the $223,500 filly pace, race 7 on the card. The Roll With Joe lass is the NYSS point leader with three wins in the state-bred program and looked nifty winning in 1:50 in last Sunday's elimination for trainer Tony Alagna and owner Crawford Farms.

Chief among her eight rivals are the winner of the other elimination, Pettycoat Business, and So Rude who missed by picking up Hen Party by about an inch last week.

The $240,600 colt final required no elimination with all 10 of the declarees lining up for race 8 in a what shapes up to be a very even contest.

While Splash Brother, Groovy Joe and Major Betts have been generating headlines in the NYSS events, a strong case could be made for Roll With JR who has been following the Grand Circuit trail and chasing the division's best this summer.

A winner in the Bluegrass Stakes last fall at The Red Mile, Roll With JR actually gets what could be considered class relief in the EBC and a new driver in Scott "Money" Zeron for trainer Jeff Cullipher, who owns the colt in partnership with Tom Pollack as Pollack Racing.

The NYSS will be represented on the card by three divisions of freshman trotting fillies and four Excelsior divisions.

The fun starts at 1:00 Sunday afternoon.

-edited release (Vernon)