A pair of $10,000 Open events are among the highlights at Vernon Downs this week, along with the opening rounds of the Catherine Burton and Anthony Farina late-closing series.
Friday (April 24) evening's Open Trot attracted a field of seven, and has been carded as the evening's seventh of twelve races. Howard Gill's War Hero (2-1 morning line) has been assigned the outside post after his 4-1/2 length win in last week's Open Trot, turning in a 1:55.2 effort in his seasonal debut. Howard Okusko, Jr. once again will handle the driving duties for trainer Jessica Okusko.
Among those looking to defeat the seven-year-old Ken Warkentin gelding are Grey Ice (8-1 ML, Jimmy Whittemore), who set the pace last week before collared by War Hero, and Ozymandias (Roman Lopez), who charged from the back of the pack to finish third. Last season's Trotter of the Year A Penny Earned (Chris Lems) also comes back, looking to redeem himself off a fourth-place effort in last week's Open. Joining the Open ranks this week is Pounce K (3-1 ML, John MacDonald), who steps up off a 1:54.3 victory against upper-level conditioned company last week.
Additionally, four divisions of the Catherine Burton Trotting Series are scattered throughout Friday's card, scheduled as races 1, 3, 8, and 10. The speedy Write That Down is the 9-5 morning line favourite in the third race, with Fern Paquet, Jr. driving the four-year-old Crazed gelding. As a three-year-old, he was placed in multiple Excelsior A events, and he took a 1:56 mark at Rosecroft as well. Deadhead Royalty is a notable entry in the eighth race, rallying stoutly to make up ample ground in his seasonal debut. The three-year-old RC Royalty colt won two Excelsior B events as a two-year-old, had also boasts four second-place finishes among his ten career starts. Howard and Jessica Okusko team up once again as Deadhead Royalty makes his second start of the year. The final division sees Kennel Browser ship in from Pompano, bringing a 1:57.3 lifetime mark with him. The five-year-old Ken Warkentin gelding has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favourite in his division, and Roman Lopez will take the lines.
Saturday (April 25) evening's Open Pace is carded as the second of thirteen races on the program, with last week's runner-up Ashleys Husband (post 5) leading the select field of five. William Donovan's five-year-old Henry Clay gelding was passed late by Thatll Be The Rei in a 1:50.2 mile last week, holding second while dispatched by the 3-5 favourite. Fern Paquet, Jr. will be back aboard for trainer Kyle Spagnola, and the 19-time winner has been installed as the 6-5 morning line choice. JK Panache (post 4) joins Ashleys Husband on the outside portion of the starting formation, having set a torrid pace last week before he was collared in mid-stretch. Chris Lems handles the driving duties once again for trainer Dave Dewhurst.
Two divisions of the Anthony Farina Pacing Series feature seventeen entrants, and they are programmed as races 6 and 9 on the Saturday card. Flight Again, owned, trained, and driven by Truman Gale, has been installed as the 5-2 morning line favourite in the first division, recently drawing clear for a four-length triumph over non-winners of two at Saratoga. Here Comes Thunder, owned, trained, and driven by Frank Davis, is likewise the 5-2 morning line favourite in the second division, beating $7,500 claimers at Saratoga earlier this month to tally his fourth career win. He'll have to overcome the outside post 8 in his division, along with a pair of Excelsior A contenders from last year in Hot Lemonade (John MacDonald) and Sweet Bobbie (Chris Lems).
Post time on both Friday and Saturday evening at Vernon Downs is 6:45 p.m. EDT.
(Vernon)