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Thursday, April 21, 2016

Late closers, new Pick 5 headline Vernon opening night

by James Witherite, Vernon Downs racing media

VERNON, N.Y. -- The opening round of the Catherine Burton late-closing series share center stage with a $9000 Open Trot on opening night at Vernon Downs, and the Miracle Mile unveils its new 50¢ Pick 5 wager in the last five races of Friday (April 22) evening's program.

Twenty-two trotters contest a trio of Catherine Burton divisions on Friday night, each one for a $4,000 purse.  Among the standouts are Pompano invader Ado Duharas (race 3, John Cummings, Jr.), who enters off back-to-back wins, stakes-placed Love Crazy Love (race 5, Gaetan Brunet), who took second in her New York Sire Stakes consolation as a 2-year-old, and Royal Right (race 11, Chris Lems), a stakes winner in Massachusetts during her freshman campaign.

The evening's top event is the $9000 Open Trot, carded as race 9 on the 12-race program.  P L Houdini (post 3) has been installed the 2-1 morning line favorite after three wins in his last five races, including a 1:55.4 triumph in an upper-level event at Pocono on April 9.  John Cummings, Jr. drives the 5-year-old Kadabra gelding for trainer Mike Sinclair.  Among his six rivals are Pounce K (Billy Davis, Jr., post 6), who returns to Vernon for defending training champion Dave Dewhurst, and 26-time winner A Penny Earned (Lems, post 5), who proved a consistent contender in the local Open ranks throughout the past two seasons.

The 2016 season at Vernon Downs features a brand new wager to Central New York: the 50¢ Pick 5.  The wager will take place on the last five races of each program, with a carryover provision should no bettor correctly select all five winners.  Additionally, a mid-card double has been slated for races five and six on a nightly basis.


Post time for the first of 84 programs this season at Vernon Downs is 6:45 p.m. EDT.