He's too tough for foes

Tuffofthetoughest cut the mile and pulled off a powerful 1:50.2 victory over True North Hanover in the $178,072 Max Hempt Memorial Pace Saturday afternoon at Pocono at Mogehan Sun. Winbak Speed got up for third.

Driver Ray Schnittker left the gate strongly from post four with Tuffofthetoughest and the 3-year-old colt by Bettor’s Delight sprinted to the first quarter pole in :26.3. Only one other horse was fired away from the gate, True North Hanover, and driver Ron Pierce settled him second at the pylons.

Tuffofthetoughest reached the halfway mark in :54.2 with Sandro Hanover, True North Hanover’s stablemate in the Mickey Burke Stable, stuck grinding first-over with Brian Sear in the sulky. After reached the three-quarter mile marker in 1:2.1, Tuffofthetougheset dug in for the stretch drive and needed only a :29 final panel to win.

Schnittker, Kelk’s Inc., Frank Baldassare and E. Pachuta own Tuffofthetoughest, a colt Schnittker also bred. The colt now has two wins, one second and one third in six starts this season. Last year at age two he won two of seven starts and finished second and third in four of his other appearances on the track.

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