For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

TWO-MAN SHOW AT VERNON ON HOLIDAY MONDAY

by Michael Chamberlain, Vernon Downs Publicity

Drivers Truman Gale and Jimmy Whittemore each scored three victories on the Labor Day matinee program at Vernon Downs.

Gale picked up victories in the first race with Mass Appeal (Muscle Mass-Pana Colada), the seventh race with Psyched (Conway Hall-Psychotherapist), and the tenth and final race with Funny Photo (Classic Photo-American Jean). Funny Photo was sent off as the even-money favorite and certainly trotted that way, winning by a comfortable margin of five lengths in a final time of 1:57.

Whittemore won the third race with the betting favorite, How Bout Cash (Cash Hall-Hot Chili Girl), the sixth race with Ehi Guaglione (Camotion-Her Eyes Only), and the eighth race with Jokerman (American Ideal-Shark Tail). The drive with Jokerman might have been the most impressive of the day for Whittemore. The horse was sent off at 26-1 and sat last in the field of seven through the three-quarter mark before weaving through traffic in the stretch to strike the front before the wire and win, returning $54 for those who backed him.

The $3,500 feature race on the Monday program was the ninth race, which was a work of art by the winner Daley Lovin (Conway Hall-Dreamsrmadeofthis). Trainer-driver Dan Daley sent Daley Lovin immediately to the lead and was never threatened after that. The colt built up an eight-length lead through three-quarters and continued to pull away through the stretch, eventually building a winning margin of sixteen lengths. The fractions were 27.2 for the quarter, 56.3 for the half, 1:24.3 for three-quarters, and a final time of 1:53.4.

The complete order of finish for the ninth race was: Daley Lovin, Sonnewald, Im-A-Gangster, Paradise Paintball, Tellmehowyoulikeit, Lucy, and Dewlalula.

Daley Lovin is owned by Ann-Mari Daley of Lake Worth, Florida and Jirl LLC of Yonkers, New York.