NYSS Fillies at Vernon on Saturday

The New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) makes a stop at Vernon Downs on Saturday night, June 22.

18 three-year-old pacing fillies and $133,000 split into two equal parts and will go as the sixth and seventh races. 

The first division contains two fillies on a similar course from distinctly different beginnings. Summertime Lea won eight of nine, including the NYSS Final, along with nearly $300,000 in 2012 for trainer Ron Burke stable and owners Burke Rcg Stb & Weaver Bruscemi, F Baldachino & E Smith. The Lislea filly has pretty much picked up where she left off and is a winner three times in four starts this season including a division of the NYSS at Tioga on June 9. She'll begin from post nine for Jim Morrill, Jr.

JK Black Beauty, on the other hand, raced just twice last season, winning both. She was brought to the races early this year by trainer Linda Toscano to gain experience and picked up the vaunted Lismore trophy at Yonkers last month. That is her lone win in four tries this year for the 3 Brothers Stables of New York, New York. Jeff Gregory has the assignment. 

Division two features the lightly raced Social Scene who's been nothing short of spectacular thus far this season. This American Ideal filly, winless in just three starts last year, has won three of four in 2013 including a sizzling 1:51.2 win at Tioga Downs in a NYSS race two weeks ago. Casie Coleman trains her for West Wins Stable, Steve Calhoun and Mac Nichol and Jonathan Drury is in for the drive.  

First post on Saturday is 6:50pm. Visit Vernon's website for more information.

Bells Are Ringing wins fourth straight

The swift-footed pacer Bells Are Ringing, and former track driving champion Jimmy Whittemore shared the limelight at Vernon Downs on Thursday night (June 20).

Bells Are Ringing wins 4th straight with Jimmy Whittemore

Bells Are Ringing extended her meet-leading winning streak for representatives of the lateral gait to four with a quick-striding 1:51.4 triumph in Thursday's $6,500 featured ninth event, while Whittemore won four of the evening's 12 races.

With Whittemore doing the steering for trainer Neal Russo in Thursday's ninth contest, Bells Are Ringing took over the lead from Steuben Ruthless after a blistering :25.4 opening quarter, and then paced the field through additional splits of :55, and 1:23.2 en route to her fourth win at the 25-program meet.  The swift showing resulted in a fresh win-record and the 11^th lifetime victory for the 5-year-old bay daughter of Cam's Card Shark-Heavenly Sign, who is owned by Cassie Russo and Andrew J. Gannon.

In addition to his winning performance with Bells Are Ringing, Whittemore also finished first with Canaco Star in the fourth contest, Small Bills in the fifth and Maxnifizent in the nightcap to earn his second four-bagger of the track's 60^th season.

The 1:52.2 lifetime-fastest win by the Lonny Hale-conditioned Canaco Star was her third in succession and fifth at the meet, tops among pacers, and placed the steady-going 7-year-old mare in a tie with the trotter Hold On Tightly for most Standardbred scores at the Downs thus far in 2013. 

Driver John MacDonald delivered two victories during Thursday's racing, while Hale and Dennis Whittemore (Jimmy's father) each hustled up a pair of training tallies.

DOWNS DOINGS—The trotter Laettner and pacer Sukura each earned their initial pari-mutuel victories during Thursday live racing…Roman Lopez's win behind Sukura resulted in his 19^th training credit at the meet and placed him in a tie atop the conditioning chart with Rick Plano...Friday's 12-race card will include Ostrich and Camel races after the fourth and eighth pari-mutuel events, respectively…Saturday's 13-race program will include two regular New York Sire Stakes races for 3-year-old filly pacers, plus six state-sponsored Excelsior Series events for practitioners of the same age, sex and gait…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.

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.

Cash In Watsu posts $51.50 upset in Friday feature

Cash In Watsu upsets for Jimmy Whittemore

Cash In Watsu beat the chalk, and then some, with her speedy upset victory in Friday night's featured ninth race at Vernon Downs.

With Jimmy Whittemore sitting in for owner and trainer Darwin La Clair, Cash In Watsu got geared up from fourth in the early going and charged into contention entering the final quarter.  Just a half-length back entering the final furlong, the determined 5-year-old mare caught and passed the pace-setting Steuben Lone Pine to post a career-best 1:56.1 triumph.  With the ¾-length tally, the bay daughter of Cash Hall-Watsu made the tote-board shine with a $51.50 win payoff, and secured her second score of the 23-program meeting and 13^th all-time victory.

The win gave Whittemore his third double of the track's 60^th season. 

Driver John MacDonald made three trips to the Blue Chip Farms winner's circle during the 10-race card, while Truman Gale and trainer Lonny Hale each garnered a pair of first-place finishes.

DOWNS DOINGS—Defending driving and training champ Rick Plano picked up a win behind the Rick Papa- trained trotter Cashaholic in Friday's third race and currently owns a 40-39 advantage over Roman Lopez atop the track's dashes-won column.  Both horsemen remained tied at 18 on the current training chart...Due to a Gretchen Wilson concert at the track at 8 o'clock on Saturday night (June 15), the live program scheduled for that date has been shifted to Sunday, June 16 (Father's Day) at 1:15 p.m…All Saturday wagering (afternoon and evening) will take place in the hotel's Simulcast Center…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.

Lola De Vie and Jurgen Hanover capture Empire Breeders Classic Finals

Lola De Vie and Jurgen Hanover earned champion status, while JK Panache capped off Sunday night's 12-race card at Vernon Downs with the fastest pacing mile of the 21-program campaign, and a track record for 4-year-old geldings.

Lola De Vie (#2) gets up to win the EBC Filly Final

With Jim Morrill, Jr. doing the teaming for trainer Chris Ryder in Sunday's sixth session, Lola De Vie used a fast closing spurt in the final furlong to out-stride three determined rivals and capture the $237,600 Empire Breeders Classic final for 3-year-old filly trotters with a career-best 1:55.3 performance.  It marked the third victory this season and the fifth win all-time for the bay daughter of Credit Winner-Fan Favourite, who raised her career winnings to $194,554 for her owner and breeder, the Joie De Vie Farm.

Three races later, Jurgen Hanover used similar tactics in the $259,900 EBC male clash, closing from second in the stretch to catch and defeat the mile-cutting Modest Prince by a length at the finish of a lifetime-fastest 1:53.4 effort.  David Miller did the steering for trainer Donna Marshall as the bay sophomore son of Credit Winner-Yassi Hanover remained undefeated after seven season's starts and improved his lifetime record to seven scores in nine trips to the track.  The career winner of $118,813 is owned by Norman and Gerald Smiley and the T.L.P Stable.

Jurgen Hanover wins his 7th straight in the EBC Colt Final

Not to be out-shown, JK Panache took advantage of an opening :25.1 quarter by Checkinthebox in Sunday's night-cap and, after taking charge before the half, zipped on to a convincing 1:49.3 triumph in the weekend's $10,000 Open pace that not only proved to be the swiftest score of the current campaign, but a fresh record for 4-year-old altered sidewheelers.  The sizzling mile trimmed 1/5^th-of-a-second off the standard for this class that had been set by Melvyn last August.  Chris Lems logged a double with the all-time fastest tally by the bay son of Art Major-Paris Hanover, who is registered to trainer Dave Dewhurst and his partner Philip K. Hale.

Ashes Cash captured one of five male divisions in the New York State Fair Excelsior Series for 3-year-old trotters in 1:54.3, while the fastest of four filly flights turned out to be a 1:56.3 showing by Royalty Free in Sunday's opening race.

In addition to Lola De Vie, Morrill, Jr. also finished first with colt Viper Blue Chip and gelding Ruth-Like to secure his initial triple of the track's 60^th season.    

DOWNS DOINGS—A total of $622,800 in prize money was paid out during Sunday's prestigious program…Lems, the meet-leader in doubles with nine, recorded seven scores during the four-night weekend…The colt Kegler Hanover in race three (1:56.3) and filly See You At Office (1:57.3) in event 10 each posted their initial career trotting tallies during the Excelsior Series competition,…Live racing will continue at the Downs at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday and Friday this week.  Due to a Gretchen Wilson concert at the track at 8 o'clock on Saturday night, the live program scheduled for that date will be shifted to Sunday June 16 (Father's Day) at 1:15 p.m…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.