The speedy River Shark chalked up the 15th track record performance of the season at Vernon Downs with a 1:50.3 mile in Saturday night’s $8,000 eighth event
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Third at the quarter, timed in :27.1, River Shark ($4.10) was sent to the front by driver Jack Rice and continued on through splits of :55.2 and 1:22.2 to win the week’s Miracle Mile-2 contest by 3-1/2 lengths and establish a fresh Vernon standard for four-year-old pacing geldings.
On The Way Again (2002) and Golden Receiver (2009) had previously shared the Vernon record for four-year-old altered pacers.
Saturday’s sizzler marked the first Vernon victory, the fifth season’s score and the 13th lifetime tally for the bay son of Four Starzzz Shark-Riverview Diamond, who equaled his lifetime speed mark. Mark Ford trains the career winner of more than $520,000 for the VIP Internet Stable, El Lobo LLC and Aaron Waxman.
One race later, Winbak Dimensions ($3.70) became a repeat winner in Vernon’s $11,000 MM-1 class, closing from second in the stretch to post a head decision over Mata Harry. The 1:53 effort marked the fifth season’s score and 31st lifetime tally for the seven-year-old son of Village Jove-Exact Dimensions, who hiked his career bankroll to more than $510,000. Defending dash champ Jimmy Whittemore did the teaming for trainer Jim Perry and owners William and Jack Heinz.
Prior to Saturday’s pari-mutuel program, non-betting divisions in Vernon’s second leg of the C.K.G. Billings Series for amateur drivers of trotters were won by Laura MacNamara (driving Anahar Charlie) in 1:59.1, and Mitchell Walker (Rush N Supreme) in 1:57.1. MacNamara is the owner of Anahar Charlie (trained by John McDermott), while Walker is the owner and trainer of Rush N Supreme.
(Vernon Downs)