by James Witherite, Vernon Downs racing media
Vernon Downs crowns champions; wraps up 2015 season
Vernon, N.Y. -- The 2015 season at Vernon Downs came to a
close on Saturday (November 21) evening, with a nine-race card bringing the
curtain down on the 90-program meeting.
"We thank all of the
horsemen who raced at Vernon Downs this year for another successful meet,"
said Jason M. Settlemoir, Vice President of Racing at Vernon Downs.
" As always, we also thank our loyal customers, and we look forward
to seeing everyone back in the spring for the 2016 racing season at the Miracle
Mile."
John MacDonald took top
driving honours for the meet, winning 151 races, 14 more than runner-up Chris
Lems. MacDonald teamed up with Vernon Downs training champion Dave
Dewhurst in the evening's $4800 first event, prevailing with odds-on favourite
Fox Valley Cadet ($2.60) in pillar-to-post fashion in 1:55.1.
Dewhurst successfully defended
his 2014 training championship, concluding the 2015 season with 69 winners, 16
more than Truman Gale. Among Dewhurst's triumphs were a pair on Closing
Night, as he also found success with Pantheon Hanover ($6.30) in a $5400 pacing
event.
Co-featured $9000 races on
both gaits shared the spotlight, with Shock N Rock ($12.00) kicking cover to
defeat a quartet of pacers in 1:51. Justin Huckabone drove the 5-year-old
Rocknroll Hanover gelding for owner-trainer Scott West. Among an octet of
trotters contesting their feature, War Hero ($3.90) took advantage of a pocket
trip behind Write That Down, vacating the pegs in mid-stretch and lunging to a
narrow 1:54.2 win under Howard Okusko, Jr. Jessica Okusko trains the
7-year-old Ken Warkentin gelding for Howard Gill.
A pair of events for
9-year-olds and upward closed the season, with trotter Yankee Manny ($3.20,
Lems, 1:59) and pacer Veal Marsala ($12.60, Jimmy Whittemore, 1:54.4) capturing
the "War Horse" events. Another veteran took his curtain call
earlier in the evening: 14-year-old My Fella, owned and trained by Allie
Berube and driven by Fern Paquet, Jr., made his final Vernon Downs appearance
after a 12-season career on the racetrack with a third-place finish in a $3000
conditioned event.
Live racing will return to
Vernon Downs in the spring of 2016. Once made final, the schedule will be
available at www.vernondowns.com.
