Sea Harrier wins Vernon Downs co-feature.

Sea Harrier (Claude Huckabone III) takes the Vernon Downs co-featured pace ($6,000) on Saturday night (June 30).

Golden Gun (Claude Huckabone Jr.) set the pace for the first three-quarters of the mile (:27.0, :55.2, 1:23.4)

Sea Harrier($10.80) was fifth after three-quarters but turned it on in the stretch and blew right by to win in 1:52.0.  Serious Major (Jimmy Whittemore) was second best.  Golden Gun held on for third.

Sea Harrier is an 8-year-old gelding by Jereme's Jet.  Owned by Go Where Is Stable and trained by Huckabone III, he won for the third time this season.  It was career win number 25.

The other co-featured pace ($6,000) went to Redhot Romeo (Claude Huckabone III).

Poisonous (Jimmy Whittemore) and Maradona (John MacDonald) battled back and forth all the way to the top of the stretch.  Poisonous led them to a first quarter in :26.2.  Mardona controlled the next half mile (:54.4, 1:23.1).  Poisonous re-took the lead at the top of the stretch.

Redhot Romeo was last after three-quarters.  Owned by Go Where The Money Is Stable and once again trained by Huckabone III, he passed them all by flying down the stretch to win in a lifetime best of 1:51.3.  Prince Pinang (Artie Dick) finished second with Card Knock Life (Truman Gale) getting third place.

Redhot Romeo is a 4-year-old gelding by Shadow Play.  It was his seventh win this season and career victory number eight.  Huckabone III also won with Johnny Fly Swatter ($9.70)

Jimmy Whittemore leads all driver with 41 wins this season.  Defending champion John MacDonald is second with 37 wins.

Vernon Downs returns to live racing on Wednesday (July 4) with a nine race card starting at 6:10.  Fireworks follows live racing

For more information go to www.vernondowns.com

Focus Power Wires The Field At Buffalo Raceway

by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- It was a select field of five in Buffalo Raceway's $11,500 Open Pace on a steamy Saturday night (June 30) so strategy wasn't at a premium. But Focus Power and driver Drew Monti made the right move early and cruised to an easy 1-3/4 length victory over China Dream in 1:54.4 over the fast track.

Starting from the two post, Focus Power ($4.60) wasted little time in gaining the lead off the gate and posted rather pedestrian fractions of :29.4 and :59.1 in saying 'come and get me'. 

The tempo picked up the second half as Focus Power had to contend with a first-over China Dream (Billy Davis Jr.) with a panel to go. But there were no anxious moments in the stretch as Focus Power pulled away thanks to a :27.4 last quarter and China Dream retreated. R M Hawk (Kevin Cummings) took third place.

Owned by James Caradori and trained by Darrin Monti, it was the third victory in 10 tries this season for the 6-year-old gelded Focus Power (Shadow Play-Luv's For Ever). The win pushed his 2018 earnings to $28,116 and $189,083 lifetime.

Drew Monti finished the night with four victories in the sulky with Shawn Gray adding three. Trainer James Clouser Jr. picked up three wins and Darrin Monti a pair.

Racing will continue on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. with a 10-race program scheduled. Buffalo Raceway will be dark this Friday (July 6) but will have a Saturday evening program at 6 p.m. and a matinee on Sunday beginning at 12:30 p.m. with the 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers battling in the New York Sire Stakes.

For more information including the latest news, upcoming promotions, simulcast schedule, race replays, results and entries, go to www.buffaloraceway.com

OLDFORD; FARALDO; BILLLINGS WINNERS AT HISTORIC TRACK

by john manzi for the Billings Series

Goshen, NY--On the sweltering Saturday afternoon of June 30^th in Trot-Town USA with the temperature hovering in the mid-90's two Billings divisions went to post over Goshen's Historic Track and when they were declared official Steve “You're Never Too” Oldford and “Smokin' Joe” Faraldo each emerged victorious in their respective divisions; Oldford winning with Starsaboveallerage in 1:58 while Faraldo scored behind Tough Get Going in 2:00 flat. And although each contest had short fields action was intensified when each winner scored a tight nose decision.

In Oldford's contest he sent his trotter to the lead from the two-hole and they carved out fractions of :29.2; :59 and 1:28.2 with “Joltin' Joe” Pennacchio and Cheeky Little Minx shadowing the leader's every move. However, when Starsaboveallerage rounded the final turn and headed for home he was quickly joined by Cheeky Little Minx and the two trotters raced for the wire head-to-head and nose to nose and when the photo was deciphered Oldford's trotter was a nose better that Pennacchio's.

“My horse went a game race and he hung tough when we were challenged by Joe's horse( Cheeky Little Miss) in the deep stretch. And we were so close at the wire I wasn't sure who won it,”Oldford said and the added “I was happy to hear the announcer call my horse the winner.”

Third place some 4-1/2 lengths behind the top two was Connie Keeper, driven by Scott “the driving doctor” Woogen.

Oldford Racing owns the winner who is trained by Allen Sisco.

In his division, Faraldo gunned Tough Get Going to the lead when the wings of the mobile gate folded but yielded command to Winwood Scout and driver David “Poppa” Glasser before the quarter which was clocked in :28.2.

“I really had no other choice but to grab leather and let Glasser take command or else he would have run me down,” Faraldo said. “We got over to the half in :59 seconds and I was still  comfortable when we passed we three quarters and I sat in until we rounded the final turn at which point I moved to challenge and we cleared Glasser and braced for a challenge from (Matt) Zuccarello (with Gianni).

Like the previous Billings event it was a two-horse charge to the wire and so close a photo was needed to declare a winner. Gianni was a nose back at the wire and Winwood Scout faded and finished third.

Faraldo co-owns the winner with trainer Richie Banca. And for “Joltin' Joe” it was his first winner on American soil this year after having had two victories in France earlier this season.