The
pacer How Forever Feels produced the fastest mile during Friday night's 11-race
program at Vernon Downs.
Chris
Lems did the driving over a rain-soaked, good track in Friday's fifth race as
How Forever Feels forged up from third in the early going to gain a lead before
the half that he wouldn't relinquish.
The gritty 14-year-old gelding continued on to a 2-1/2-length tally in
1:53.3 for trainer Lonny Hale and owners Dr. Michael J. Kessler and the Speed
To Burn Racing Stable.
Competing
in his last season of pari-mutuel competition, the bay son of Stand
Forever-Highland Tranquil now sports 47 career victories and earnings of
$360,000.
Two races
later, the ownership group's 7-year-old pacing mare Canaco Star, also
conditioned by Hale, converted a pocket trip into a unchallenged 1:54.2 triumph
with Jimmy Whittemore doing the teaming.
It was
the third victory at the 19-program meeting and the 30th overall for
the lifetime winner of $117,678.
Lems and
Whittemore would each go on to post driving doubles, while leading reinsman,
Rick Plano, and his chief challenger, Roman Lopez, would chalk up a triple and
a double, respectively. Trainer Leopold
Sawyers also secured wins from his pacers G.P.S. Legacy (1:54.2) and Real Art
(1:55.1).
DOWNS DOINGS—Lems and John MacDonald are tied for the lead in driving
doubles at the meet with seven each…Lopez is tops in three-win programs with
six, followed by Plano with five…Plano, the track's defending driving and
training champ, is the only horseman to have recorded four wins on a single
Downs program thus far this season, and he's accomplished the feat on two
different occasions…Bruce Berg's quick-footed pacer Moving Up Fool earned his
initial pari-mutuel victory (1:56) in Friday's third event…Live racing will
continue with a 10-race Vernon card at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, preceded by
simulcast wagering on the Belmont Stakes thoroughbred race 10 minutes earlier…The 2013 Empire Breeders Classic
championship races for 3-year-old male and female trotters will be contested at
the Downs on Sunday (June 9) during a 12-race card that will begin at 6:45 p.m.…A
revised racing and stakes calendar, as well as additional information regarding
Vernon Downs, its casino, hotel, racing and promotional events can be obtained
at www.vernondowns.com.
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