by harness raciing publicists across North America

The Friday (Oct. 13) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Vernon Downs, Hollywood Dayton Raceway, Batavia Downs and Saratoga Casino Hotel.

Bye Bye Michelle captures Vernon feature

Vernon, NY — Bye Bye Michelle (Chris Lems) won the filly and mare featured pacing event ($9,000) at Vernon Downs on Friday (Oct. 13).

Bye Bye Michelle (Stonebridge Regal) would put up all the fractions of :27.1, :57.0, 1:25.2 and 1:53.1.

Owned by Melissa Beckwith with Thomas Mc Tygue and trained by Andy Gardner, the 7-year-old mare would hold off the charge by big favorite Drea’s Good Powow (John MacDonald) and Love Live Laugh (Jimmy Whittemore). Those two would end up in a dead heat for second.

Bye Bye Michelle ($7.10) would win for the seventh time this season and for the 32nd time in her career.

Lems would win two more on the night. He would win with Give Angel Credit (Credit Winner) in 1:55.3, paying $32.60. His other victory came with Fox Valley Photog (Vaporize) getting the mile in 1:57.3 while paying $11.20.

Vernon Downs returns to live action on Saturday (Oct. 14) with a 10-race card starting at 6:45 p.m.

For more information go to www.vernondowns.com.

— by John Horne

Hollywood Dayton Raceway

Colorful Sky made a successful debut into open mares company on Friday night (Oct. 13), winning the featured $18,500 event in a new lifetime best 1:51.4 clocking. Defending national dash champion Aaron Merriman, who recently scored his 800th win for the fourth consecutive season and has announced a goal of 1,000 wins in a single season for his first time this year, was the sulky sitter as the 5-year-old daughter of Skydancer Hanover notched her 16th career victory. Colorful Sky also passed the $100,000 earnings plateau with the win. Owner Grant Wilfong has campaigned the winner throughout her career, but recently relegated the training duties to Charles Stewart. In her first start under Stewart’s tutelage, Colorful Sky finished second in a top distaff condition event that went in 1:50.4. In this week’s clash, Merriman and Colorful Sky yielded briefly to Addys Way (Dan Noble) as they approached the quarter-mile marker in :26.4. Immediately moving back to the lead, Colorful Sky lead the field to the half in :55.3 and the three quarters in 1:23.3, then tacked on a :28.1 final panel to barely hold on over last week’s open winner, Town Temptress (Kyle Ater), for the victory. Longshot Make Three Wishes (Josh Sutton) was best of the rest to garner the show dough.

Batavia Downs

With little challenge at the start of the mile, Kahoku set pedestrian early fractions and hung on late to win the $10,500 Open Handicap trot at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Oct. 13).
The car released the field and surprisingly nobody left; giving the pylon-sitting Kahoku (Kevin Cummings) the command spot by default. Feeling right at home in that position, Kahoku slowed the fractions considerably with a :30.1 second panel and :59.3 half. Fleet Bumblebee (Drew Monti) was outside on the move at that point and came within a length of the leader by the five-eighths pole. Pushing the issue from there, the pace quickened to :28.2 for the third quarter but that took a toll on Fleet Bumblebee, who faded as they came off the turn. However a fresh Northern Matador (Ray Fisher Jr.) who had been sitting second the whole mile found the passing lane and incrementally gained ground down the stretch on that path. Sensing the challenge, Cummings urging Kahoku to dig in and he did his best to comply, hanging on to win by a nose in 1:58. It was the 4th win of 2017 for Kahoku ($10.60) and it raised his earnings to $37,448 for owner Colleen Girdlestone and trainer Kirk Desmond. In the $8,000 Open II trot, Winky’s Pride (Billy Davis Jr.) was also a wire-to-wire winner, touring the facility unencumbered in 1:58.3. Winky’s Pride ($7.80) is owned and trained by Robert Hummel. Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Oct. 14) with post time at 6 p.m.

Saratoga Casino Hotel

Truth And Liberty (Total Truth) made her return to the Fillies and Mares Open a winning one on Friday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Bob Lounsbury trainee prevailed in the local Open a year ago nearly to the day. After the 5-year-old mare scored a wire-to-wire victory last Friday night while competing in a condition race at the Spa, it was back into the $18,000 feature this week. Driver Bruce Aldrich Jr. moved the classy distaffer first-over approaching the half to come after the front-running Yonkers invader Dewar N Soda (Jim Devaux). Despite setting fast first half fractions of :27 and 55.3, Dewar N Soda proved to be game and seemingly fended off Truth And Liberty around the final turn. That was before the late resurgence from Truth And Liberty who found a second wind and came on in the final strides to win a photo with Dewar N Soda in a mile clocked in 1:53.2. Dewar N Soda was second best in her local debut while longshot Beyonces Rockn (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot. A winner at odds of 7-2, Truth And Liberty led an exacta and triple that paid $67.50 and $800, respectively. Truth And Liberty, whose Friday victory was her ninth of the year, won her first local Open on Oct. 7 of last year. Live racing continues on Saturday night at Saratoga with a first post time of 6:45 p.m.