from Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

Freehold, NJ — Vernon Downs will host some of the biggest names in racing on Friday evening, August 15, including the return of the 2008 Hambletonian winner, along with the sport’s top mares and giveaways for fans.

Hambletonian winner Deweycheatumnhowe will make his first start back after winning harness racing’s most prestigious event on August 2 at The Meadowlands, taking on four open class trotters in a $30,000 event. The race will go as the 10th on the card; ‘Dewey’ will have his trainer/co-owner and regular driver Ray Schnittker on board when he starts from post five in the five-horse field.

The first 500 fans at Vernon on Friday will receive this photo collage.

Schnittker trains the winner of $1,953,246 using a combination of conventional racetrack training methods, plus riding Dewey through the woods and swimming in his farm pond. Vernon will give the first 500 fans a photo collage of the Hambletonian champ titled “Deweycheatumnhowe: Harness Racing’s Triathlete,” depicting the horse winning the Hambletonian, under saddle and up to his chin swimming in Schnittker’s pond.

Schnittker says Dewey is in great mid-season shape.

“He’s real good, ate great after that race (the Hambletonian) and he came out of the race perfect,” he noted. “He looks really good, should be in good shape (for Vernon).”

Brian Sears, second in North America with $9.9 million in earnings at this writing, will be honored that night with a commemorative bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 guests. Sears, who was raised in the Vernon area, will sign autographs from 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on the grandstand apron before driving in seven races on the card, which starts at 6:55 p.m. for 12 races.

Sears has driving assignments in two stakes races featuring the sport’s best older females on Friday. In the $135,000 Conway Hall, he’ll drive millionairess Falls For You, winner of the Armbro Flight earlier this season, who recently took her lifetime mark of 1:52.2 in winning a leg of the Classic Series at The Meadowlands on July 19.

On the pacing side, Sears could pilot My Little Dragon to the $2-million mark in the $123,500 Artiscape. My Little Dragon is coming off a second-place finish in the Golden Girls, held August 2 at The Meadowlands. She’ll be rematched with the winner of that race, Darlin’s Delight, who scorched home with a :25.4 last quarter to beat My Little Dragon by just a head.

Darlin’s Delight gets the driving services of Yannick Gingras, who’s joined by other top drivers Ron Pierce, Tim Tetrick, the top money-earning driver on the continent with $12.3 million, Andy Miller and Jim Morrill, Jr., who dominates on the Tioga-Vernon circuit.