Vernon, New York - Elimination races for the New York sired
$500,000e Empire Breeders Classics (EBC) three year old trots are
part of a Sunday, June 2 matinee card at Vernon Downs.
The fillies were split
into two $12,500 divisions of seven that are carded as races 3 and 5. The first
division features 2012 Dan Patch award winner To Dream On and 2012 NYSS Final
runner-up Isabella Gal.
To Dream On makes her first seasonal start
for the Jimmy Takter stable and the race has enticed her regular pilot, Yannick
Gingras, in for the drive. The Credit Winner filly lists the Breeders
Crown among her eight stakes wins in just nine starts last year for owners Marvin
Katz, Al Libfeld and Sam Goldband, all of Ontario, Canada.
Isabella Gal is local talent, having been
bred and raised by recent inductee to the Upstate New York Harness
Writer's Hall of Fame Robert A. Brooks, who owns the filly along with
his wife Lynn, John Buettner and her trainer, Jeff Long.
Lady Suffolk division winner Lola De
Vie heads the second filly split, race five. Another Credit Winner lass,
she was bred and retained by Joie De Vie Farm LLC and is trained by Chris
Ryder.
Trainer Bob Bencal brings the lightly
raced Perfect Alliance into the EBC elims for owner Jeff Gural's Little E,
LLC off of a well meant second at The Meadowlands in her last.
The seventh race is the first of two for
the colts and will pit the first and second place finishers from last year's
NYSS final against each other right out of the box.
Fashion Blizzard got the nod in that round
and reunites with his regular driver, the New York circuit's top pilot Jimmy
Morrill, Jr. Credit Winner again appears on the top line of the pedigree for
this homebred winner of more than $300,000 for the interests of owner
Fashion Farms, LLC and trainer Jimmy Campbell.
Tirade Hanover missed being the NYSS
freshman champ by just a head. His seven wins in eleven seasonal starts left
him just shy of $200,000 for his freshman season. He's logged a
couple of impressive Harrington qualifiers for trainer Tyler Raymer to prepare
for his sophomore season. The Crazed gelding is owner by a group that includes
the trainer's wife, Leigh Raymer, Stephen Moss, and Harold & Helane
Solomon.
Division two comes in race nine and there
are a few that can really go in that one.
Royalty For Life is housed on
the Vernon backstretch and trainer George Ducharme has used three
qualifiers, the fastest a month ago in 1:54.1, to prep his RC
Royalty colt. A 1:54.2 Grand Circuit stake win at The Red Mile, a close
second in the Breeders Crown final and earnings of more than a third
million dollars last year has drawn national attention to Alfred Ross, Raymond
Campbell and Paul Fontaine's colt.
Royalty For Life, however, is not in by
himself.
Twisted Pretzel was a contender in the
NYSS program last year in the capable hands of trainer Paul Kelley, who owns
him with Abraham Singer and Ted Gewertz.
Pine Credit likes the big tracks, as
evidenced by his Red Mile form last season, and has a few qualifier preps for
the Erv Miller barn. The trainer owns him in part with Harvey Eisman and Mike
Anderson's Paymaq Racing.
Jurgen Hanover has really come to hand in
the Donna Marshall barn this year at age three. He's unbeaten in five starts,
ripped through the Weiss series at Pocono and just trotted to a 1:54-
win at Harrah's Philly. He is owned by a group that knows something
about winning classic races, Norman & Gerald Smiley in partnership with Tom
& Lou Pontone's TLP Stables.
Post time for the 13 race extravaganza is
1:15pm on Sunday afternoon at Vernon. The rich finals are schedule for Sunday,
June 9 at 6:45pm. More details may be found by visiting the track website.
