Vernon, N.Y. -- Scott Woogen and Brenda Messenger's Lauxmont
Capri ($10.20) pounced from the pocket to capture Saturday (November 5) evening's
featured $7,900 Miracle Mile pacing event at Vernon Downs, and John MacDonald
sewed up top trainer and driver honors for the 2016 season, which came to an
end with a 12-race card.
The 6-year-old Red River Hanover gelding drafted behind 9-5
favorite Skip Jive (Jay Randall) through splits of :25.4, :54.2, and 1:23.1
before making his move just before cornering for home. Once Mike Merton moved
Lauxmont Capri off the pegs, he pressed immediately and collared Skip
Jive at the eighth pole, accelerating away and repelling a late bid from Modern
Gesture (Truman Gale) to prevail by a length in 1:51.4. Skip Jive faded to
third.
Gary Messenger trains 20-time winner Lauxmont Capri.
John MacDonald's 197 driving wins and 54 training wins
through the season earned him top honors in both categories. MacDonald finished
the meet 48 wins clear of the second-best driver Chris Lems and five clear of
training runner-up Andy Gardner.
In the annual "Turn Back the Clock Rewind Race",
contested clockwise over seven-eighths of a mile, Avogadro Hanover ($8.20) slid
up the pegs after tracking a contested pace, reaching the lead in the last
sixteenth of a mile and completing the single circuit in 1:40.3, a neck better
than Ton of Luck (Merton) and the collared pacesetter Bring Them Home (Justin
Huckabone).
The 2017 season at Vernon Downs is slated to begin in April;
fans and horsemen alike are advised to consult www.vernondowns.com through the winter
for updates.
