from harness publicists around North America

Thursday’s (Oct. 20) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Vernon Downs, Colonial Downs and Cal Expo.

Harlem Rockturne wins Vernon feature

Vernon, NY — Harlem Rockturne regained her title as Queen of the Pacing Hill at Vernon Downs following a 1:54.1 victory in Thursday night’s $10,000 featured 10th event.

Fotowon photo

Harlem Rockturne was a 1:54.1 winner in the Thursday feature at Vernon.

Leading dash-winner Jimmy Whittemore did the teaming for his father, trainer/owner Dennis Whittemore, as Harlem Rockturne ($4.60) raced aggressively throughout the mile contest, closing from second in the stretch to defeat the favorite, All About Kisses, by nearly two lengths.

Thursday’s tally was the sixth in the last eight outings for Harlem Rockturne and her fourth in the track’s female Open Pace. The 4-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Capericorn has collected five of her nine season’s scores over Vernon’s oval, raising her career total to 10. She’s now a lifetime winner of more than $82,000.

Rick Plano picked up four driving victories on Thursday.

— Jim Moran

Colonial Downs
Trainer Stacey McLenaghan’s entry of Little Pop Queen and Whiting Hanover finished first and second, respectively, in the New Kent Pacing Series’ first leg Thursday afternoon at Colonial Downs. The 27-year-old McLenaghan is from Providence Forge, a town in New Kent County where Colonial Downs is located. Fittingly, her pacing duo thrived in the initial series leg and to top it off, her father Ron McLenaghan piloted Whiting Hanover to the runner-up finish. Jason MacDougall’s Forward Bliss, fresh off a win and second place finish courtesy of a new front running style, controlled the field early on again, triggering fractions of :26.4, :55.3 and 1:24.1 before taking a 1-1/2 length lead into the top of the stretch. McLenaghan’s Whiting Hanover and Little Pop Queen were second and third heading into the stretch, and they both eased past Forward Bliss deep into the final straightaway. Corey Braden, aboard Little Pop Queen, guided the 4-year-old mare to a three-quarter length triumph in 1:53.1, just one-fifth of a second off her previous life mark. She has two wins and a pair of runner-up finishes in five Colonial Downs starts this fall. Whiting Hanover took second and Forward Bliss hung on for third. The winner paid $7.20.

Cal Expo
It looked like he’d get a perfect trip, he got a perfect trip, and Franks Best knew what to do with it. Winners over trotters, racing for a purse of $4,500, were featured at Cal Expo on the first Thursday card of the Fall meeting, in which Franks Best won for the 17th time in just 45 starts. With Lemoyne Svendsen driving, Franks Best drew clear to the finish after one urge with a sixteenth of a mile to go and a wheel-disc urge just after that marker. The Bob Johnson bred, owned and trained trotter won by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:57.1, a lifetime mark. Putoneonnetformom was clearly second best, and the Bob Johnson trained Giles L S Hanover finished five lengths farther back in third.