Jack Vernon wins Yonkers’ Sunday afternoon $54,000 Open Handicap Trot
November 18, 2018,Yonkers, NY – Dan Dube does not discriminate.
He and Jack Vernon ($8.40) went the distance Sunday afternoon (Nov. 18), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $54,800 Open Handicap Trot. The previous evening, Dube and Gokudo Hanover wired ‘em in the week’s marquee pace.
Back to ‘Jack,’ who won a several-horse scrum for the early lead, then gave nothing else a shot.
The nine-horse feature (one came up ill) served as the opener of seven added-distance ‘French’ trots.
From post position four, Jack Vernon stuffed Gruden (Brian Sears) in behind, setting up shop before a 28-second opening quarter-mile. It was a :57.1 half and 1:26.3 three-quarters before invading 3-2 favorite I Know My Chip (Jim Marohn Jr.) made his second move.
Wide early into a four-hole, I Know My Chip came first-up, but the bid was both brief and ineffective. Meanwhile, Jack Vernon was gone, widening past the 1:55.3 milepost and opening four lengths in and out of the final turn.
He finished it off by 2-¼ lengths, getting the mile-and-a-quarter in 2:25. Andy Ray (Jason Bartlett) offered late foot to wind up second, with Gruden, Lean Hanover (Jordan Stratton) and Lord Cromwell (Matt Kakaley) settling for the minors.
I Know My Chip backpedaled to last.
For second choice Jack Vernon, a 5-year-old Muscle Hill gelding owned by Mr. (Andy) Miller Stable and trained by Mrs. (Julie) Miller, it was his 10th win in 25 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $66, the triple returned $466.50 and the superfecta paid $2,828.
Technical difficulties resulted in the cancellation of the ‘New York, New York Double’ for Sunday afternoon.
The next Sunday matinee is Nov. 25 (post time TBA).