by Michael Chamberlain, Vernon Downs Publicity
Driver Chris Lems, who will be representing Vernon Downs in
the Drivers' Championship Race For The Cup on Friday, August 29 at Vernon, was
the driving star of the Saturday night program with four victories. Lems' first
two winners were favorites in the wagering, Tarport Andy in the opener and King
Of Kings in the third. He then scored back-to-back winners later in the evening
with a front-running score from Credit To Elgin in the ninth and a strong
closing drive in the tenth with High Mileage.
The $6,500 feature race on Saturday night was won by Oh My
Joepa (Rocknroll Hanover-Nittany Lion), who has now won two of the last three
starts at Vernon Downs. Oh My Joepa (Claude Huckabone III) sat toward the tail
end of the field through the first quarter of a mile before making a strong
first-over move to the front. From there, he led the rest of the way, building
up a four-length lead as the horses made the top of the stretch. Western
Tsunami (Roman Lopez) closed strongly in the stretch to get second and Market
Force (Jimmy Whittemore) also finished well to end up third. You Bet
Your Glass (Frank Davis) had gone off-stride at the start and still managed to
finish fourth. A Fool For Mark crossed the finish line fifth, but was
disqualified for interference with multiple horses at the three-quarter
mile mark and placed last. The fractions were 26.4 for the quarter, 55.4 for
the half, 1:22.4 for three-quarters, and a final time of 1:51.
The complete order of finish was: Oh My Joepa, Western
Tsunami, Market Force, You Bet Your Glass, Fearless Chip, Martial Bliss, and A
Fool For Mark.
Live racing resumes at Vernon Downs on Thursday night with a
10-race program. Post time is 6:45pm.
