Keep Asking scored an impressive breakthrough victory as he circled the field to win the $108,200 New York Sire Stakes for two-year-old male trotters and equal the divisional track record at Vernon Downs on Friday, Aug. 18.
Driven by Scott Zeron, the George Ducharme-trained Keep Asking trailed the seven-horse field through a contested opening half, with panels clocked in :26.2 and :55.2, during which the favourites, Wild Ticket (Brian Sears) and Situationship (Jason Bartlett), and outside longshot leaver Titan Your Grip (Mark MacDonald) all made appearances on the lead. Situationship led the field to three-quarters in 1:25 and seemed well in control turning for home with It Wasnt Me (Tyler Buter) chasing after him, but Keep Asking circled his foes and blew right on in the stretch for the 2-1/4-length victory in 1:54 over the 'good' track, equalling the track record for two-year-old trotting colts that was set by Crazy Wow back in 2014. It Wasnt Me edged out Situationship for the runner-up honours.
Keep Asking earned his first win from five career starts, but has finished no worse than fourth and boasts nearly $100,000 in earnings. The Chapter Seven-Sensibility colt is a homebred for W J Donovan, Joe Sbrocco, Jim Winske and George Ducharme Stable.
Let go at odds of 23-1, Keep Asking returned $48.40 for the upset win.
A quartet of $20,000 Excelsior Series divisions were won by 46-1 upsetter Fringed (1:57.3) and trainer/driver Dan Daley, along with favourites Super Duper Cooper (1:57.3) with Tyler Buter driving for trainer John Butenschoen, Inflation (1:59.1) for driver Brian Sears and trainer Lucas Wallin, and the Ed Hart trainee Sir Pinocchio (1:58) in rein to Jason Bartlett.