Kindergarten Classic Point Standings

With the last leg of the 2013 Kindergarten Classic now complete, the points earned toward the finals over the course of the series have been tallied. They may be accessed by visiting the Vernon Downs website.

  

Those finals, for purses of $222,500 for the colts and $211,000 for the fillies, will be raced on Friday, October 25 at Vernon. The top nine that enter will be drawn into the finals and a $10,000 consolation race is offered for those not making the cut.

Horses must be declared for both the finals and consolations with the Vernon Racing office by 9:00am on the morning of Tuesday, October 22. The condition sheet is available here.  

Sheer Brilliance goes back-to-back in the Open Pace

Sheer Brilliance wins the Open Pace again

The fleet-footed pacer Sheer Brilliance displayed his superiority for the second straight week while winning Saturday night's $12,000 Open contest at Vernon Downs.

Following up on a 1:50.2 victory in this top-flight class here last Saturday, the favorite Sheer Brilliance was steered to the front at the star of the seventh race by catch-driver Claude Huckabone, III and he remained there through intervals of :26.3, :53.4 and 1:22 over a rain-soaked "good" track.  He defeated the second wagering choice, JK Panache, by a head in a 1:50.4 performance.

Saturday's score was the ninth this season and the 43^rd all-time for the 6-year-old bay son of Blissful Hall-High Roller Ash, who has earned $503,365 during his productive career.  The gritty gelding is owned by trainer Jeffrey Long and J. Paul Long.

In Saturday's 11^th event, Bushwacker turned in a bold-striding 1:53.3, front-ending triumph for Jimmy Whittemore that resulted in his first career victory.  The eye-opening performance became the fastest mile by a 2-year-old pacing gelding at the 80-program meeting, and it was just 3/5ths-of-a-second off the track's record for this category that was established by Memory King in 2011.  Chris Ryder conditions the bay son of Rocknroll Hanover-Dolphins Can Talk, who is owned by the Henderson Farms.

Huckabone, III delivered three tallies during Saturday's 13-race card as did Whittemore.  Driver Chris Lems chalked up his meet-leading 21^st driving double of the local campaign.

DOWNS DOINGS—Whittemore, a three-time Vernon driving champion, increased his win output at the meet to 95 and gained a three-win lead over Roman Lopez in their battle for second place on the current race-winning chart…Trainer Dave Dewhurst picked up a 1:55.2 win from the pacer Dick N Ben in race nine and currently has a 34-32 advantage over Lopez in the chase for second-place in the 2013 conditioning category…The Chris Ryder-trained trotter Well Built also earned his initial pari-mutuel triumph after a 1:56.2 mile in Saturday's third race…The Downs will offer live racing at 6:45 p.m. Thursday-Saturday next week…On Friday (Oct. 25) Vernon will host the season's $400,000 (est.) championship finals of the Kindergarten Classic…Only eight racing dates remain during the track's 60^th anniversary season that continues through Nov. 9…A revised 2013, 88-program 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.

Lightning Force sets new track record in Kindergarten Classic leg

Lightning Force, Cee Bee Yes, Trixton and Yoga were all divisional winners in Friday night’s fifth and final preliminary leg of the $40,000 Kindergarten Classic barnstorming series for 2-year-old trotters at Vernon Downs.

Lightning Force and John Campbell

Lightning Force set a Vernon record for 2-year-old trotting geldings with his 1:55 victory in the first male contest, Cee Bee Yes produced the fastest mile by a frosh filly high-stepper at the meet with her 1:55 performance in race 11, while Trixton and Yoga, both representatives of the Jimmy Takter stable, earned first-place finishes in 1:54.4 and 1:55.3, respectively.

Hall Of Fame driver John Campbell guided Lightning Force to his first career win and a 1:55 record in Friday’s fourth race.  The quick-striding son of Muscle Hill-Lightning Flower rallied from fifth in the early going to third at the half.  The bay battler kept on rolling until he gained the lead in the final turn and continued on to a one-length score over the favorite, Odds On Amethyst.  It marked the eighth career start for the winner of $34,085, who is conditioned by Randy Beeckman and owned by the Miller’s Stable, Inc.

The crowd’s choice Cee Bee Yes improved her season’s summary line to 4-3-1 after 10 starts with a front-striding 1:55 mile, which missed the track record by just two ticks of the timer, but went down as the fastest showing by a representative of her age, sex and gait at the 79-program meeting.  Andy Miller drove for trainer Julie Miller, as the bay daughter of Muscles Yankee-Enbeecee gained a fresh win-mark and hiked her winnings to $173,785.

Cee Bee Yes and Andy Miller

Trixton completed a driving double for Takter with his strong-striding, ¾-length tally over second choice Outburst and top pick Sumatra in Friday’s sixth session.  The 1:54.4 life’s-best clocking, which missed the Vernon record for freshman colt trotters (Nuncio in 1:54.3 earlier in the meet) by one tick of the timer, led to the fourth win in seven trips to the track for the bay son of Muscle Hill-Emilie Cas El, who has earned $53,687 for owners Christina Takter and Brixton Medical AB.

The crowd’s choice Yoga turned a pocket-sitting trip from Takter into a 1:55.3 victory in Friday’s second session.  The neck triumph over the pace-setting Bikini So Teeny gave the brown daughter of Muscles Yankee-Sugarcane Yankee her fifth win in seven starts.  The steady-going filly has returned $37,750 to owners Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding thus far this year.

Friday’s $12,000 Open trot was won by newcomer Bound For Fame, the wagering choice, who rallied in the final furlong to nip Walltocousins by a head in a 1:53.4 ninth-race effort.  David Miller, sitting in for trainer David Duspiva, earned his fourth win of the evening as he steered the speedy 6-year-old son of S J’s Photo-Bewitching Karen to a new win-mark, his eighth season score and 18^th lifetime victory.  The fast-closing effort pushed the gritty gelding’s career earnings past the $301,000 plateau for owners Mark Allen Goldberg and the Rags To Riches Stable of Pennsylvania.

Driver Andy Miller posted twin tallies during the program, as did trainers Deedra Johnson and R. Nifty Norman. 

DOWNS DOINGS—Chris Lems, who collected three wins during Friday’s 12-race card, took a 33-32 lead over Roman Lopez in the battle for second place on this year’s training chart…Saturday night’s 13-race program, which includes a $12,000 Open pace in race seven, will begin at 6:45 p.m…Vernon will also offer simulcast wagering on tomorrow night’s $6 million Breeders Crown championship program from Pennsylvania’s Pocono Downs starting at 5 p.m…The Downs will play host to this season’s $400,000 (est.) championship finals of the Kindergarten Classic next Friday (Oct. 25)…Only nine racing dates remain during the track’s 60^th anniversary season that continues through Nov. 9…A revised 2013, 88-program 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.

Let's Go Higher can't be stopped at Vernon Downs

Let's Go Higher and Shawn Gray

Let's Go Higher increased her winning streak to five with a dominating 1:50.4 performance in Thursday night's $12,000 featured Open for female pacers at Vernon Downs.

With Shawn T. Gray doing the steering for trainer Heidi Rohr in Thursday's second session, the favorite Let's Go Higher was on the iron from the start, stomping out fractions of :26, :54.2 and 1:22.2 en route to a six-length score over last week's winner in this class, Don't Blame Her.

It was the fourth local score, the 12^th season's tally and the 21^st all-time victory for the steady-striding 5-year-old daughter of Cole Muffler-Ten Speed, who earned her 1:50.3 record here on Aug. 8.  The Jesse J. De Long-owned mare is currently a career-winner of more than $265,000.

Ten-time track driving champ Howard Okusko, Jr. charted his fourth triple of the 78-program meeting, winning with the trotters Oldmanandthesea (1:59), Oaklea Tyson (1:58) and pacer Winbak Your Kash (1:55).  His wife, former Downs conditioning champ Jessica Okusko, is the trainer of Oldmanandthesea and Winbak Your Kash. 

Veteran horseman Angus Mac Donald (66) enjoyed a driving win, My Future Ex (2:00.3), and two training tallies during Thursday's 12-race card.

DOWNS DOINGS—Roman Lopez and Jimmy Whittemore each earned one victory during Thursday's action, and remained tied for second-place on the track's driving chart with 92 wins each…The pacer Campanile Hanover and trotter DL Cruiser each extended their winning streaks to three during the program...Tomorrow night, the track will host the fifth and final preliminary leg of the Kindergarten Classic Series for 2-year-old trotters.  Filly flights will be featured in Friday's second and 11^th events, while male divisions will be contested in the fourth and sixth races.  A $12,000 Open Trot is also slated as the evening's ninth event.  First post is at 6:45 p.m…The Downs will also present the annual event's $400,000 championship final the following Friday, Oct. 25…Only 10 racing dates remain during the track's 60^th anniversary season that continues through Nov. 9…A revised 2013, 88-program 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.

Kindergarten Series at Vernon Downs on Friday

The fifth and last preliminary leg of the Kindergarten Classic series, a Grand Circuit event, will be raced on the evening of Friday, October 18 at Vernon Downs.

Two divisions each of fillies and colts will go for $10,000 and perhaps more importantly, valuable points toward the $200,000e final for each next Friday.

In with a puncher's chance, needing a win to advance, is the speedy Odds On Amethyst (race 4) who was second in his only series appearance back in August. An impressive 1:54.2 winner in the Bluegrass at The Red Mile, he lost all chance in his Breeders Crown elimination with an early break, so Plan B has been instituted by the connections. Dan Daley drives this well bred Muscle Hill gelding in a reunion of sorts as Dan trained him for Robin Schadt and owner Odds On Racing for a spell not long ago.

Recent world record setter and double Red Mile Grand Circuit winner Outburst heads up the other colt division (race 6)for owner/trainer Noel Daley. This Explosive Matter gelding won an exciting Bluegrass split in Lexington in 1:53.1 for the record. He has won five of eight  over $130,000 this season for Noel and partners Adam Victor & Son and Mirva Bogucki.

Lightning Force, Myolinist, Hillustrious and Chocolate Day are also in town to pursue a final berth. They currently occupy positions 10-14 in the standings, just beyond the nine accepted.

On the filly side, Yoga (Muscles Yankee) sits atop the standings having won all three of her Kindergarten starts and will defend her throne in the evening's second race. Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter trains and drives her for Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding from post two.

Cee Bee Yes looks like the logical favorite in division two (race 11) based on her consistent form which has resulted in $168,785 in seasonal earnings for Jason & Douglas Allen. She is conditioned by Julie Miller and husband Andy will be in for the drive.

Red Hot Spicy, Bikini So Teeny and Fashion Huntress are currently just outside the limit and will be looking to secure a spot in the final with a high placing on Friday.

All things Kindergarten, including the above mentioned series standings, may  be found on the Vernon Downs website. Post time on Friday is 6:45pm.