Driver Fern Paquet, Jr. swept the evening's pair of $8,000
Miracle Mile feature events at Vernon Downs on Friday (April 25) evening,
rallying to circle the field with Asset Management ($19.60) in the Fillies and
Mares Miracle Mile 2-3 Pace, and prevailing in the nick of time aboard Jaipur
($8.20) in the Miracle Mile 2 Trot.
In a change of tactics from the last two weeks, Asset
Management dropped to last, biding her time well off a pressured pace before
mounting a three-wide rally at the top of the stretch. The six-year-old
Western Hanover mare gobbled up ground willingly, eclipsing the pace-setting
Market Dynamics (Rick Plano) in deep stretch, pulling clear for a 2-3/4 length
win in 1:52.3, capped by a torrid :26.2 final quarter. Artic Byrd (Truman
Gale) was a narrow third, flattening off a first-over bid.
Jaipur took a similar path to victory in the trotting
feature, making a massive three-wide push in the final quarter mile, passing
horses steadily en route to a slim triumph over the pacesetting House Money
(Roman Lopez) for a 1:54.4 victory. Painite (Truman Gale) rallied late to
save third after breaking at race's outset.
A trio of divisions of the Catherine Burton trotting series
were contested, with Wild and Crazy Guy (1:56.1) and Driving Miss Crazy
(1:56.2) giving Gaetan Brunet a training and driving double on the evening.
Indira Blue Chip (1:57.1) prevailed in the non-wagering division for
trainer-driver Ray Schnittker.
Live racing returns on Saturday evening with a 6:45 p.m.
first post, and Thursdays are added to the schedule on May 1, with post time
slated for 6:45 p.m. on Thursday evenings as well.
