by
James Witherite, Vernon Downs racing media
Top
older mares of both gaits and two-year-old trotters of both sexes will vie for
over $800,000 in purses on a blockbuster closing night card this Saturday
(November 1) at Vernon Downs.
Triple
millionaire Anndrovette headlines the $178,000 Artiscape Mares Pace (race six),
and the seven-year-old veteran will square off against seven rivals in the
first leg of an all-stakes Pick 4. Trainer PJ Fraley listed Tim Tetrick
to drive the 41-time winner, and she'll line up in post 3, just outside her
entrymates Krispy Apple (Brett Miller) and Shelliscape (John Campbell).
Double millionaire Rocklamation also figures to be among the standouts, having
won the Lady Liberty and the Golden Girls at the Meadowlands this summer.
Yannick Gingras is listed to drive the six-year-old for trainer Ron
Burke. In all, the Artiscape field boasts 200 career wins, along with
combined earnings in excess of $11.9 million.
Races
seven and eight are the culmination of the Kindergarten Classic series, with
nine two-year-old trotting colts and geldings competing for a $240,500 purse in
the seventh race. Indiana standout Airman Batten (Marcus Miller, post 1)
has won 10 of 13 career races, and the Erv Miller-trained Swan for All colt
figures to be prominent along with the Jimmy Takter-trained French Laundry
(Yannick Gingras, post 5). The son of Muscles Yankee has won five of his
nine career races, taking a 1:54.4 lifetime mark in his Kindergarten
preliminary at the Red Mile on September 18.
Freshman
fillies contest a $250,000 purse in the eighth race, with five-time winner Bee
the Queen (Brian Sears, post 9) coming in off multiple Kindergarten preliminary
wins. While she consistently shows speed, the George Ducharme-trained
daughter of Donato Hanover has a number of four-time winners lining up to her
inside, including Allerage Star (Corey Callahan, post 1), Josie's Joy (Tim
Tetrick, post 5), Lady Clarabella (David Miller, post 6), and Sweet Thing
(Charlie Norris, post 8).
Ten
top distaff trotters square off in the $178,000 Muscle Hill, carded as race
nine on the 11-race program. Bee a Magician, fresh off her third-place
finish to Natural Herbie and Commander Crowe in the Yonkers International Trot
Preview, has drawn post 9 in the full field. Usual driver Brian Sears is
listed to drive the 30-time winner for trainer Richard "Nifty"
Norman. The other millionaire in the field is 27-time winner Maven (post
7), making her debut from the Ron Burke stable off a sharp 1:54 qualifier at
Pocono. Yannick Gingras has been nominated to retain his drive aboard the
five-year-old Glidemaster mare.
The
closing night card is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. EDT start time, with a
long-sleeve T-shirt giveaway to commence an hour earlier (while supplies
last). A fireworks display over the Central New York Sky will take place
following the evening's final race.
