Expressive Action and filly Crediama were victorious in the $432,850 Empire Breeders Classic sophomore trotting finals featured on Sunday night's harness racing card at Vernon Downs while Fireyourguns blazed to a 1:48 all-age track record victory in the $10,000 Open Pace.
There were multiple lead changes early on in the $215,125 trotting final for colts with John Grasso Stable's homebred Expressive Action and driver Mike Simons the last to the front at the half. Expressive Action trotted on to win by one and three-quarter lengths in 1:54.1 with his nearest rival Cash For Gold (Mike Vanderkemp) breaking stride in the stretch. Wild And Crazy Guy (Ron Pierce) and Hallanet (Trond Smedshammer) finished second and third.
The Conway Hall-Yettas Angel colt, who is undefeated in three starts this year, paid $3.80 to win as the 4-5 favourite.
Crediama, driven by Tim Tetrick, trotted along in fifth for most of the mile in the $217,725 filly final before following Glowngold's (Jim Morrill Jr.) cover around the final turn and hauling down co-favourite Avalicious (Yannick Gingras) in 1:54.1. She prevailed by one and a half lengths over Avalicious while Annies List (Tyler Buter) came in third.
Trond Smedshammer trains the Credit Winner-Mama B filly, who was also an elimination winner, for the Purple Haze Stables LLC. She paid $6.90 to win as the 5-2 second choice.
During the undercard, Fireyourguns entered the history books as he paced Vernon Downs' fastest mile ever. The 1:48 winning effort shaved three-fifths of a second off the former record set by Hes Gorgeous in 2012.
Fireyourguns and Jim Morrill Jr. retook the lead from JK Panache (Chris Lems) after a sizzling :25.3 opening quarter and raced to the half in :52.4 and three-quarters in 1:19.3 with JK Panache the only horse in the field able to keep up. The 1-4 favourite began to put some separation between him and his nearest rival entering the stretch and cruised home for the record-setting victory. Clint Westwood (Yannick Gingras) closed late to edge out JK Panache for the second-place honours nearly three lengths behind.
The five-year-old American Ideal-Villa Hanover gelding is owned by trained Terence McClory, along with Jennifer and Robert Lowe. He now boasts six wins and two seconds in eight seasonal starts with $43,250 banked in earnings.
New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings filled up the rest of the card. Tetrick teamed up with trainer Linda Toscano to win the first two events with Ken Jacobs' Jeneral Patton in a divisional track record of 1:49.4 and El Bloombito in 1:51 for owners Stake Your Claim Stable, Camelot Stable Inc., and Fred Wallace. Ron Burke trainee All Bets Off won the final split in 1:50.2 with Matt Kakaley driving for Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, The Panhellenic Stable Corp., and Rosemary Shelswell.
Kakaley also swept the $6,900 "B" divisions of the Excelsior Series with American Tower (1:54.1) and Southwind Scorpion (1:52.3). The Tetrick-driven Cabbies Delight and Big City Jewel, with Frank Davis aboard, turned in matching 1:51 miles in their respective $12,900 "A" divisions while Archetto Hanover and Marcus Miller stopped the clock in 1:53.2 in the other split.