Story by Nick Salvi for Vernon Downs
VERNON, NY - The Saturday card at Vernon
Downs contrasts the old and the new as trotting's "Grand Old
Man" Arch Madness makes an appearance in the $10,000 Open trot and seven
divisions of State Fair races for freshman colts fill out the card.
"Archie" seeks a little relief from battling the
very best in the world as he closes in on $4 million in career earnings in
the opener. His longtime companion Trond Smedshammer will drive for Marc
Goldberg and Willow Pond LLC.
Three splits of colt pacers go beginning in races two,
eight and eleven. Riverview Racing & Alagna Racing's Great American
looks to break maiden in the first split. Chris Lems will drive.
Division
two favorite is Frost, Phillips & Fielding’s Natural Leda. He’s winless in
five starts but catches a soft spot here with the meet’s top driver Rick Plano
aboard. Then in the last division Lauren & Robert Tucker’s
Believeinthespirit ships back in from Jersey looking to follow up his
impressive 1:53.2 win at Tioga. Roman Lopez has the drive.
Trotting colts begin in race five, where Bob Key’s Karets
is the oddsmaker’s pick, dropping from Sire Stakes to Excelsior level with Rick
Plano. Race seven contains the Purple Haze Stable’s Hallanet. He was second in
his career debut at Vernon a few weeks ago for Smedshammer. High Q is winless
in four thus far despite showing speed and consistency for trainer/driver Gates
Brunet and owner Ted Gewertz in the tenth race. That same combo, along with
partners Jean and Debbie Brunet, sends out the cleverly named Wild And Crazy
Guy in the twelfth. He has flashed high speed, including closing out a 1:57.2
win with a 27.1 final stanza in his last.
