by Michael Chamberlain, Vernon Downs Publicity
War Hero (Ken Warkentin-Miss Gibbons) powered past
Ilovemymommy in the stretch to win the $10,000 featured Open I Trot at Vernon
Downs on Friday night. War Hero (Frank Davis) followed the live cover of
Ilovemymommy (Jimmy Whittemore), who surged to the lead past the half-mile mark
and maintained control to the top of the stretch. It was there that War Hero
moved alongside and started to surge past in the lane to win in a time of
1:53.4. Mr. Web Page (Roman Lopez) had set the early fractions of 26.4 for the quarter
and 56 seconds for the half, but had to work hard to get the lead after being
caught three-wide around the first turn. This hard labor ended up costing him
dearly later on as he faded to finish last. My Revenuer (John Macdonald)
rallied from last up the backstretch to close strongly and finish second. The
complete order of finish was: War Hero, My Revenuer, Lucid Thoughts,
Ilovemymommy, A Penny Earned, Out Of The Hat, and Mr. Web Page.
War Hero is owned by Howard Gill of Pine Bush, New York and
trained by Jessica Okusko.
Live racing resumes at Vernon Downs on Saturday night
with a 9-race program. The 2014 Miss Vernon Downs Pageant takes place
on Saturday with a top prize of $1,500. Contestants will compete in casual
wear, swimsuit, formal wear, and an interview segment. Post time
for the Saturday night program at Vernon Downs in 6:45pm.
