Sweet Ashley T and trainer/driver Homer Hochstetler easily won the featured $7,000 trot at Vernon Downs on Friday (May 4).
Sweet Ashley T ($5.50) charged out of her outside post and quickly took the lead and never looked back, owning all the fractions (:30.2, 1:01.1, 1:30.2, 2:00.4). Owned by South of the Tracks Racing Inc. and trainer Hochstetler, she never had an anxious moment. Gimme The Cash (Claude Huckabone III) fired late to finish second while Just For Today (John MacDonald) settled for third.
Sweet Ashley T is a five-year-old mare by Conway Hall. She nailed down her first win of the year and won for the 11th time in her career.
Jeffrey Long won two on the evening at the 'miracle mile.' His first win came with Bob N Tony ($4.90) followed by a second victory with Hanrahan ($18.60).
Vernon Downs returns to live racing on “Derby Day” (May 5), with a special post time of 4:30 p.m. The festivities include a Derby Hat contest. Also there will be a Food Truck Rodeo from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Two lucky fans will get a chance to make a “Dream Bet” of $500 each on any horse in the Kentucky Derby.
(With files from Vernon Downs)