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Hart points Roll With Joe to Cane Pace

Freehold, NJ --- Meadowlands Pace and Battle of the Brandywine winner Roll With Joe was among nine horses entered in the $342,875 Cane Pace -- the first jewel in the Pacing Triple Crown -- at Tioga Downs. The field will advance directly to the final, which is scheduled for September 10. The race was moved to Tioga Downs from Freehold Raceway for 2011 and 2012.

Joining Roll With Joe in the field are Avenue Hanover, Betterthancheddar, Eighteen, High Noon, Powerful Mist, Rollwithitharry, Shadyshark Hanover, and Townslight Hanover.

Trained by Ed Hart and driven by Ron Pierce, Roll With Joe has won four of eight races this year and earned $1.22 million. In addition to his wins in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace and $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine, he was second in the $1.53 million North America Cup. He is the No. 3-ranked horse in harness racing’s weekly Top 10 poll. He is owned by Blue Chip Bloodstock, Stephen Demeter, Not To Worry Stable and Winbak Farm.

The Cane Pace is followed by the Little Brown Jug (September 22) and the Messenger Stakes (November 12) in making up the Pacing Triple Crown. Ten horses have won the Pacing Triple Crown, most recently No Pan Intended in 2003.

“I’m kind of happy there’s no elimination,” Hart said. “I’m going to qualify him at Tioga on Friday. I get an extra week of not having him up on his toes. With the Jug coming up in a couple of weeks, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Everything (with the schedule) works out good if he stays good.”

Roll With Joe has never raced at Tioga Downs, which is a five-eighths-mile track, but trained there during the spring. His most recent win, in the Battle of the Brandywine, came on a five-eighths-mile oval at Harrah’s Chester.

“He’s been all over the country now, and in Canada, so he’s pretty good racing at different places,” Hart said. “Earlier on in their careers it might matter, but not now so much. He goes to a different track all the time, so he’s pretty used to it.”

Following is the Cane Pace field in post position order, with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Powerful Mist, Andy Miller, Wayne Givens; 2. Townslight Hanover, Stephane Bouchard, Aaron Lambert; 3. Avenue Hanover, Daniel Dube, Mark Silva; 4. Eighteen, TBA, Ian Moore; 5. Shadyshark Hanover, Jim Morrill Jr., Erv Miller; 6. Rollwithitharry, Jim Morrill Jr., Jimmy Takter; 7. Betterthancheddar, George Brennan, Casie Coleman; 8. Roll With Joe, Ron Pierce, Ed Hart; 9. High Noon, Mark MacDonald, Jimmy Takter.