Defending driving and training champion Rick Plano started his Memorial Day afternoon at Vernon Downs with an Open pacing victory behind Special Strides and things continued to improve from there.
Leaving from post two in the $10,000 featured first race, Plano and his six-year-old charge dropped into third place early in the mile contest, drafting along behind the pace-setting A Fool For Mark until the top of the stretch, and then accelerating in the final furlong for a one-length triumph in 1:50.4.
It was a career-fastest performance for the speedy brown son of Camotion-Belize and tied the fastest mile at the 14-program meeting, which had been established by the pacer To Beach His Own on April 27. It marked the first win in 2013 for Special Strides, but the 16the lifetime tally for the career winner of more than $78,000, who is owned by Thomas Witt and Richard C. Plano.
Plano continued on with first-place finishes behind Theresa Appler’s pacer Sri Panka (1:52) in Monday’s seventh session, and capped off the track’s nine-race card with a 1:55.2 tally behind his wife Maryann’s pacer, Lotta Drama.
While securing his fourth triple of the meet, the 61-year-old Frankfort-native increased his leading win count for the track’s 60th season to 30 and his top training total to 15.
Driving doubles during the sunny afternoon were registered by John MacDonald (First Tail U See and P J Lucky) and Chris Lems (Thatssomebracciola and Restless Yankee).
(Vernon Downs)