Titans of Trot Collide at Vernon on Friday

The $214,000 Credit Winner (open) and $202,000 Muscle Hill (mares) trotting stakes offer a look at the finest trotting talent on the continent in Grand Circuit action on Friday, September 6 at Vernon Downs.


The Credit Winner offers an All-Star field of eight boasting career earnings of nearly $13 million. 

The talented group includes Arch Madness (a win would put him over the $4 million mark), 2012 Hambletonian winner Market Share, 2012 Breeders Crown 3YO winner Intimidate, 2012 Kentucky Futurity champ My MVP, International winner Wishing Stone, Canadian superstar Mister Herbie, the season's top earner in the division in Sevruga and Guccio, who goes over the $1 million mark with a win.

Intimidate is making his first start against the top of the crop after a quiet summer in Quebec. Trainer Luc Blais kept his prize pupil on the junior circuit before unleashing him at the WEG tracks in August with a pair of impressive wins in the 1:52 range. The Vernon Downs configuration mirrors that of Mohawk Racetrack and should suit Intimidate's closing style. Ron Pierce will drive the altered son of Justice Hall for Blais and his partner Judith Farrow in Friday's eleventh race.

The fairer sex will perform a race earlier with ten mares facing the gate including the division leader Maven. The competition includes all the players, with Beatgoeson Hanover fresh off her world record 1:51.4 effort at Pocono, Real Babe finished right on the aforementioned mare's heels last week and last year's top filly Check Me Out, who flashed some of her speed in a 1:55.3 win at Saratoga in her last.

Maven has won six of eight this season and is the leading money winner in the group. She has rebounded from a mid-summer swoon with a sharp 1:53.3 win in the Miss Versatility at Tioga in her last, adding Lasix. The winner of over $1 million in her career, Maven starts from post six for regular driver Yannick Gingras. Jonas Czernyson has conditioned the daughter of Glidemaster throughout her career for owner W J Donovan of Ft Lauderdale.

Horses for both races must report to the Retention Barn by noon on Friday.

The fields are as follows:

TENTH RACE Condition: "MUSCLE HILL" Mare Trot Gait: Trot Purse: $202,000

HN PP Horse Driver Trainer 1 6 MAVEN Ya Gingras Jo Czernyson 1A 9 D'ORSAY Co Callahan Jo Czernyson 2 1 BEATGOESON HANOVER Da Miller Ri Norman 3 2 INTENSE AMERICA Jo Jamieson Su Kerwood 4 3 PEMBROKE HEAT WAVE Jo MacDonald Ma Ford 5 4 CEDAR DOVE Ro Pierce No Daley 6 5 REAL BABE Ja Morrill Jr Ma Harder 7 7 PERSONAL STYLE An Miller Ri Norman 8 8 BAX OF LIFE Jo Campbell JE DUFORD 9 10 CHECK ME OUT Ti Tetrick Ra Schnittker

ELEVENTH RACE Condition: "CREDIT WINNER" Open Trot Gait: Trot Purse: $214,000

HN PP Horse Meds Driver Trainer 1 2 MY MVP Co Callahan To Alagna 1A 3 MARKET SHARE Ti Tetrick Li Toscano 1B 5 WISHING STONE Ya Gingras Ro Burke 2 1 ARCH MADNESS L T. Smedshammer Tr Smedshammer 3 4 SEVRUGA L An Miller Ju Miller 4 6 GUCCIO Ji Takter Ji Takter 5 7 INTIMIDATE Ro Pierce Lu Blais 6 8 MISTER HERBIE Jo Jamieson Je Gillis

Reynolds Freshman Trots at Vernon Downs on Thursday

The Grand Circuit W. N. Reynolds Memorial stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and fillies swings into town on Thursday evening with four divisions, racing for total purses of nearly $150,000. 

The fillies split into a pair of sixes, each for $33,000 and Chivaree Hanover is 9-5 on the morning line for Canadian connections in the second race. Gregg McNair owns and trains the Muscle Hill lass who broke maiden in 1:59.4 at Mohawk and followed that effort with an impressive second in the Champlain, trotting her mile in 1:56.2 on that occasion. Rick Zeron is in town and catches the drive on this nice filly. 

A Perfect Gem has the favorite's role in division two (race five) for owners Paymaq Racing, Louis Willinger and Daniel Plouffe. She's a sharp Yankee Glide filly who hasn't missed the board in eight starts while amassing nearly $125,000 in earnings and posting a snazzy 1:55.3 record in Pennsylvania stakes. The father/son team of Erv and Marcus Miller will handle the training and driving duties, respectively. 

The colt races are the seventh and ninth on the card with Exodus Hanover the choice in the $39,100 first division on the strength of five wins in seven outings. The Andover Hall colt has picked up over $100,000 this season for trainer Steve Elliott and his partners the Ang Frassetto Estate, Old Block Stables and K. Klein. Regular driver Andy Miller is aboard for the Reynolds.  

Division two for a purse of $39,500, is a powerful field of eight that includes Resolve, a sharp looking Muscle Hill colt with local ties. Bred and owned by Michael and William Pozefsky along with Edward Wilson, he is the first foal of their mare Anikawiesahalee, a stakes winner for the long time Vernon patrons. Though the ownership group has had their share of success over the seasons, Resolve has the look of the one they've been waiting for. He won a division of the Kindergarten at Tioga Downs in 1:55.2 for trainer/driver Roman Lopez and will face a stern test from post eight on Thursday.  

Post time is 6:45 on Thursday and you may find even more interesting information on Vernon Downs racing by visiting the track website.

A Penny Earned posts lifetime mark in Labor Day feature win

A Penny Earned scores with Jimmy Whittemore

A Penny Earned posted a career-fastest 1:53.1 Open trot victory; Hot Cowboy became the winningest pacer at the 59-program meeting, and Jimmy Whittemore chalked up four driving tallies during Monday's special 10-race matinee program at Vernon Downs.

With multiple Downs race-winning champ Whittemore handling the lines in Monday's $10,000 eighth event,

A Penny Earned idled in fifth place to the half, timed in :56 seconds, then scooted three-wide around the final bend and flashed home in a :28.1 final quarter to secure an impressive seven-length triumph.  

Improving his win-mark by one tick of the timer, the 4-year-old bay son of Conway Hal-Penny Dream collected his fourth current victory and 12^th lifetime tally, while hiking his career purse earnings to more than $242,000 for trainer George Ducharme, an owner along with New Englanders Nicola Oliva, Alfred Ross and Paul Fontaine.

Whittemore also finished first with the first-time race-winning trotter Don't Miss A Tweet (1:58.2), the diagonally-gaited Leah's Ex (1:55) and pacer Katelyn's Scott (1:52) to register his third four-win outing of the track's 60^th anniversary season.

Hot Cowboy, a consistent 6-year-old campaigner owned and trained by Truman Gale, roared home in a :27.4 last quarter to win Monday's fifth event in 1:52.3.  The solid score was his seventh at the meeting and made him the winningest pacer of 2013 here to date.  It also tied him with the trotter Ulay Boko for most equine triumphs through Sept. 2.

Second-leading reinsman and conditioner Roman Lopez logged a pair of first-place driving finishes during the bright, sunny afternoon, while Truman Gale gained a pair of training tallies. 

DOWNS DOINGS—A Penny Earned is a stablemate of the standout trotter Royalty For Life in the Downs-based Ducharme stable…The 2-year-old filly trotter Don't Miss A Tweet is trained by veteran Homer Hochstetler and owned by Connie J. Hochstetler and Robert Buddig…The Downs will offer live racing at 6:45 p.m. Thursday-Saturday this weekend…On Friday, Sept. 6, Vernon will present its premier events for older representatives of the diagonal gait, the $200,000 Credit Winner Open Trot and the $200,000 Muscle Hill Mare Trot…Friday's slate will also include a rich New York Sires Stakes contest for 2-year-old filly pacers.…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.

He's Watching smashes track record in NYSS victory

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 34^th 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. 

DOWNS DOINGS—The previous 1:51 Vernon mark for freshman colt pacers was established by Schoolkids in August of 2008…The world record of 1:49 for this category was turned in by Sweet Lou in 2011... The Downs has scheduled a special 10-race matinee program on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2) starting at 1:15 p.m, which features a $10,000 Open trot in event eight.…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