by James Witherite, Vernon Downs racing media
D'One closes furiously, upends 'Bee' in Muscle Hill
Vernon, N.Y. -- Finding a seam off the far turn, D'One
($5.90) stormed home to collar 3-5 favourite Bee a Magician in the $177,000
Muscle Hill distaff trot on Friday (August 21) evening at Vernon Downs.
The 5-year-old daughter of a pair of 1:50.1 trotters, Donato
Hanover and Giant Diablo, floated into a close stalking spot, just off
pacesetters Bee a Magician (Brian Sears) and Shake It Cerry (Jimmy Takter)
through initial fractions of :26.3 and :56.3. As Handover Belle (Matt
Kakaley) began the outer flow just one spot farther back, Örjan Kihlström
elected to save ground with D'One, locked in through the far turn but able to
wedge off the pegs as Handover Belle faded off the corner. After Bee a Magician
accelerated to a clearer lead through three-quarters in 1:25, D'One found ample
room to commence her rally. She made up 4-1/2 lengths and put another
length on Bee a Magician in the end, capping her 1:52.2 triumph with a
blistering :26.3 closing sectional. Allie Labrook (Andy Miller) stayed on
for third after tracking closely throughout.
Roger Walmann trains D'One for Stall Kenny 23 of Sweden.
Venus Delight parlays pocket trip to
Artiscape success
After working clear of her entrymate through a pressured
early pace and subsequently yielding to the pocket, Venus Delight ($5.70, part
of entry) made the most of her pocket trip, sprinting clear in mid-stretch and
holding off a late threat from Radar Contact for a 1:49.4 triumph in the
$194,000 Artiscape distaff pace.
Jason Bartlett sent the 5-year-old daughter of Bettor's
Delight to the front, sprinting clear of entrymate Anndrovette (Tim Tetrick),
Table Talk (Andy Miller) ,and Skippin By (Jim Morrill, Jr.) through a :26
initial quarter. Just upon making the lead, Venus Delight yielded to
Anndrovette, and the triple millionaire led the charge through a :54.3 half
before Skippin By nudged her along through a 1:22.3 three-quarter
sectional. Boxed through the far turn, Venus Delight found clearance at
the pegs, driven to the lead at the eighth pole. Meanwhile, the
third-over Radar Contact (Scott Zeron) swung four-wide through the stretch,
closing stoutly but ultimately missing by a length. Anndrovette held
third, while Precocious Beauty (Brian Sears) stayed on for fourth from her
second-over trip.
Jeffrey Bamond, Jr. trains Venus Delight for Bamond Racing,
LLC.
Obrigado game in Crawford Farms; Flanagan Memory last
While Obrigado ($11.40) had his hooves full in the final
three-eighths of the $200,000 Crawford Farms open trot, he succeeded in holding
Lindy's Tru Grit at bay for a 1:52 score at the Miracle Mile.
Obrigado used nearly the entire first turn to clear the
lead, pushing past Melady's Monet (Jason Bartlett) well after a :27.1 initial
quarter. The 5-year-old Boy Band gelding managed to catch a breather on
the backstretch--but not only by way of a :29 second sectional.
First-over challenger and 8-5 favourite Flanagan Memory (Brian Sears) broke
stride just upon commencing his bid, changing the complexion of the race
entirely. Still, Obrigado faced pressure on the far turn, as Lindy's Tru
Grit (Andy Miller) took up the chase in the final three-eighths. The pair
would duel off the far turn, and despite being headed off the corner, Obrigado
fought back gamely to reclaim command in the final sixteenth. The Paul
Kelley trainee prevailed by a scant neck over the game Lindy's Tru Grit, while
Melady's Monet hooked three-wide in the final 70 yards to finish a hard closing
third.
Mark MacDonald drove Obrigado for the Paul Kelley Racing
Stable, Linwood Higgins, William Weaver, III, and Stable 45.
The evening's undercard featured three divisions of the New
York Sire Stakes for 2-year-old pacing fillies, with Vino and Formaggio ($2.40,
David Miller), Soft Idea ($3.00, Jim Morrill, Jr.), and Dime a Dance ($12.80,
Matt Kakaley) taking their respective events.
Live racing returns to Vernon Downs on Saturday (August 22)
evening, with post time slated for 6:45 p.m. Eastern.
