Vernon, NY — On a night where there were no feature races, trainer Michelle Warner along with drivers Leon Bailey and Chris Long scored grand slams on Friday (Nov. 6) at Vernon Downs.
Bailey got his wins with Escape The House, Jesmach Onyx, Trolley Station and Captain Conan. Long got his wins with Sadie Jane, Onspeed N, Super Sarah, and I B Lovin.
Warner got her wins with Escape The House, Onspeed N, Captain Conan, and she combined with Aaron Byron getting the “race of the day” win in the $4,000 trot with Poker Play ($15.18).
After third-place finisher Tymal Loverboy (Steeven Genois) put up all the early fractions (:28.4, :58.3, 1:28.0), Poker Play came flying around the final turn, emerged to the front, and won in 1:57.4. Parton Me Dolly (Mark Whitcroft) finished second.
Poker Play is a 9-year-old gelding by Yankee Glide. He is owned by the Too Rock Stable. It was his third win this season and his 28th career victory.
With just three race dates left, driver Leon Bailey leads Chris Long by 13 wins for the drivers’ title.
The training title is still wide open. Gary Gibson leads everyone with 38 wins. David Dewhurst has 37 tallies. Defending champion Michelle Warner (36) is only two behind in third place.
Live racing on Saturday (Nov. 7) with a post time of 5:05 p.m.
For more information, go to www.vernondowns.com.