Plano, Whittemore win 4 races on Father's Day Sunday

Northern Companion battles to win the Open Pace

Northern Companion charged to a favorable result in Sunday afternoon's featured pace, while drivers Rick Plano, Jimmy Whittemore and trainer Lonny Hale also got to celebrate a successful Father's Day at Vernon Downs.

Competing in Sunday's $10,000 Open contest, Northern Companion battled briefly with the favorite Special Strides going to the quarter before taking charge at the half and continuing on to a neck victory over the on-rushing PJ Lucky in the 10^th event.
 

Sunday's score was the second locally, but the seventh this season for the speedy son of Combest-Smoke It Out, who now sports 27 career wins and total earnings of $140,752.  Trainer Robert Hoffman handled the bay battler for owner Dorothy Zara.

Defending driving champ Plano posted four wins on a Vernon card for the third time this season, winning the first, second, seventh and eighth events to take a 44-39 lead over Roman Lopez in the 2013 dashes-won derby.   The 61-year-old horseman also added a training tally to earn a 19-18 advantage over his chief driving rival on the current condition chart after 24 programs.

Whittemore, a multiple Downs driving champ, followed suit with first-place finishes in Sunday's third, fourth, ninth and 11^th events to secure his initial four-win performance of the track's 60^th campaign.

Former Vernon conditioning champ Hale harnessed winners in races three, five and six, lifting his meet total to 16 and moving into third place in year's trainer standings.

Leah's Ex earned her third straight local score with a come-from-behind 1:55.1 triumph in Sunday's $8,000 Open-2 trot (race nine). Whittemore did the steering for trainer Angus Mac Donald and owner Neal Chilton. 

DOWNS DOINGS—The Plano-piloted trotter Goshen obtained his first career win with a 1:59.3 triumph for trainer Dave Dewhurst and owner Philip K. Hale in Sunday's second race…A 1:54.1 tally by How Forever Feels in race three enabled the 14-year-old pacer to tie Candace Star at four for the most consecutive victories by a representative of the lateral gait through June 16…Live racing will continue at 6:45 p.m. Thursday through Saturday during the upcoming weekend…Friday's card will feature Camel and Ostrich racing…A revised 2013 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.