by Jim Moran, for Vernon Downs

Vernon, NY — How Forever Feels and Fox Ridge Connor each employed the same strategy and both were rewarded with career-best 1:52.3 victories in featured paces at Vernon Downs on Saturday night, October 6.

Racing third entering the final furlong of Saturday’s $8,000 eighth event, the week’s Open-2 contest, How Forever Feels ducked into the inside pylon path, then out-hustled longshot Yankee Arnie and favored Don’t Be Skeerd to the finish line.

Taking the short way home enabled the 8-year-old gelding to record his second score at the meet, third of the year and trim one-fifth of a second off his previous win mark, earned four years ago. Ruel (Dude) Goodblood, Jr. drove the career-winner of $237,558 for his wife, trainer Whitney Goodblood, and owner Robert Blackman, Jr.

One race later, second-time Vernon starter Fox Ridge Connor found himself in the same situation in the week’s $10,000 Open-1 Handicap, and he, too, closed from third inside to eek out a head decision over the fast-closing Wealth Decision, with the pacesetting Soldier Boy a neck back in third. He paid $22.60 to win, $16.20 to place and $14.20 to show.

Jimmy Whittemore did the teaming for his dad, trainer Dennis Whittemore, and the Fox Ridge Stable as the 5-year-old son of Artiscape authored his first local tally, fourth of the campaign, and sliced one-fifth of a second off his prior speed standard, posted in 2006. The Pocono Downs regular now sports lifetime winnings of nearly $87,000.

Not to be outdone, Western Tsunami stopped the race-timer in 1:52.3 in the $6,300 10th test, but chose a more conventional route, popping out of the pocket in the final quarter and going overland to defeat the mile-cutting Launch Angle by more than six lengths while securing a fresh speed mark.

Josh Marks drove for trainer Tracy Brainard and owner Andrew Herzog as the 4-year-old gelding notched his second win in succession and sixth of the season. This has been the best campaign thus far for the bay son of Western Hanover, who is fast approaching $45,000 in career earnings.

Marks had three wins during Saturday’s 11-race card, while Joe Nassimos and the meet’s top provisional driver Chris Lems each posted a pair of first-place finishes.

Downs Doings: After 72 of this season’s 84 planned dates, Marks trails defending champ Howard Okusko, Jr. 82-80 in the dash-winning driving derby, while Lonny Hale and Dave Dewhurst are deadlocked at 37 in the same category for trainers…Dewhurst secured his 37th training credit after his pacer Chasing The Dream posted a lifetime best 1:55.2 speed badge with Marks doing the sulky-sitting in Saturday’s first race…Lems leads all (P) reinsmen at the meet with 15 victories…The Downs will continue its Thursday-Saturday fall schedule next week, with first post each evening at 6:45…Vernon’s video gaming facility operates from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, while its daily simulcast sessions begin at 11:00 a.m.