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| He's Watching sets a new track record |
The
sensational 2-year-old colt pacer He's Watching convinced Vernon Downs fans
that he is indeed something special after recording a blazing 1:50 victory in
the opening division of Saturday night's $107,925 New York Sire Stakes feature
for freshman male members of the lateral gait.
Being
teamed for the first time by Jeff Gregory, and going off as the overwhelming
favorite in Saturday's third race, He's Watching left the starting gate
cautiously and was third after a :26.2 opening split. The bay son of American Ideal-Baberhood
switched into another gear heading down the backstretch and was in control at
the half in :54.2. Enjoying a two-length
advantage after passing the third station in 1:22.4, the talented colt powered
through a :27.1 final quarter to defeat the pocket-sitting Sir Sam's Z-Tam by
more than two lengths.
The
superb showing lowered the Vernon standard for freshman colt pacers by one full
second, and equaled the clocking he displayed while setting a world record for
his age, sex and gait over Tioga Downs' 5/8ths-mile track on Aug. 9.
The
magical mile kept He's Watching undefeated after five starts and improved his
career winnings to more than $122,600 for trainer Dave Menary, an owner of the
low-priced ($3,000) youngster along with Brad Grey and Michael Guerriero.
Saturday's
other NYSS winners were Forty Five Red (If I Can Dream-Sakura Hanover) in
1:51.1 with Rick Plano piloting for trainer Ron Burke, the Burke Racing Stable
and the Our Horse Cents Stable, and Big Boy Dreams (If I Can Dream-Stefani Blue
Chip) in 1:51.3 with Cat Manzi doing the steering for trainer Arnie Marks and
owner Dominick J. Rosato.
Hall-of-Famer
Manzi was behind Memorial Day J in race one, the opening segment of Saturday's
$37,900 Excelsior Series competition for NY-bred freshman male sidewheelers, and guided the
bay son of Kenneth J-Sentra to a fast finishing 1:53.3 victory. The career-best clocking improved the swift-striding
youngster's summary line to 2-1-0 after six starts and his purse winnings to
$14,035 for owner Ken Jacobs.
The
evening's other Excelsior Series winners were Cabbie's Delight (Bettor's
Delight-Get A Cab), in 1:53.4 with Gregory guiding for trainer Marks and owner
Jacobs, and Sir ALTB Z-Tam (If I Can Dream-Mariah Blue Chip), in 1:55.3 with
Gregory at the controls for trainer Pat Lachance, an owner of the first-time
pari-mutuel winner along with the M&M Harness Racing stable and Ira Rosenblum.
Saturday's
speed splurge hit a low note after newcomer Pontiac Luck scorched Vernon's
7/8ths-mile oval in 1:49, establishing a fresh track standard for aged pacing
geldings and a career-fastest win clocking.
Plano was at the controls as the 7-year-old son of Northern Luck-Pontiac
Queen led from start to finish and was unchallenged at the mile's end. The time trimmed 1/5th-of-a-second off the
former Vernon mark, set by JK Panache back on June 22, and it came within
2/5ths-of-a-second of the fastest mile in the track's 60-year history, a 1:48.3
showing by the pacer He's Gorgeous in May of 2012. It was the seventh season's score and the 34th
all-time tally for the career-winner of $317,437, who is trained by Ron Burke
and registered to the Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi, LLC.
In
addition to Gregory's driving triple, Vernon's leading driver for the second
straight season, Plano, posted four first-place finishes for the seventh time
at the 58-program meeting. Others
recording multiple victories during Saturday's 10-race program were driver
Manzi (2 wins), trainers Marks (three tallies), Burke (three triumphs) and
Edgar Clarke (two victories). The Burke
Racing Stable enjoyed three scores during Saturday's slate, while owners Jacobs
and Weaver Bruscemi were the recipients of a pair of first-place finishes.
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