by Michael Chamberlain, Vernon Downs Publicity
War Hero (Ken Warkentin-Miss Gibbons) emerged victorious
from a three-horse stretch battle to score a victory in the feature $9,000 Open
I trot on Friday night at Vernon Downs. The complexion of the race changed
immediately as A Penny Earned (Chris Lems) broke stride as the gate opened. He
ended up trailing throughout. Surface Tension (Dan Daley) inherited the early
lead and was quite tenacious in front, turning away an early challenge from Pop
I (John Macdonald) and then holding Evil Urges (Jimmy Whittemore) at bay until
the field made the stretch.
War Hero (Frank Davis) followed the useful cover from Evil
Urges and moved up while trotting three-wide in the lane, passing Evil Urges in
deep stretch to get up and win in 1:54.2. It was a minor upset as War Hero
went off at 5-1 in the field of six, paying $12 to win. The fractions
were 28 seconds for the quarter, 57.1 for the half, and 1:25.4 for
three-quarters. The complete order of finish was: War Hero, Evil Urges, Surface
Tension, Pop I, My Revenuer, and A Penny Earned.
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 Racing Under Saddle series will also continue on Saturday,
as six horses will go to the gate in the second leg. The featured pari-mutuel
race will be the seventh race with a purse of $6,500. The morning line choice
is Axiom Hanover, who will be driven by Chris Lems. Post time on Saturday night
is 6:45pm.
