Racing Roundup: Whittemore wins four at Vernon Downs
July 31, 2009,from Harness Publicists across North America
Thursday’s (July 30) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Vernon Downs and Cal-Expo.
Whittemore wins four at Vernon Downs
Vernon, NY — Driver Jimmy Whittemore won four races, while Sharpshootennorris snared top honors in Thursday night’s $9,000 featured eighth event at Vernon Downs.
Trying for his first Open trotting victory here since June 4, the favorite Sharpshootennorris ($3.80) turned a textbook trip into a 1:55.1 triumph for trainer Tracy Brainard and her ownership partner Gerard Stuchbury. With Josh Marks doing the teaming, the 6-year-old gelding followed the pace-setting Brick for six-eighths of the mile before out-striding Butterscotch Swirl through the stretch to win by a little more than a length in 1:55.1. It was the fourth local tally, fifth in 2009 and 15th all-time for the career-winner of $252,528.
Whittemore’s four scores included a 1:55.1 performance behind Baileysirishdream ($6.50) in Thursday’s $7,000 sixth race, the week’s Open-2 trot. The 5-1/2 length victory was the third this season and 20th lifetime for the 4-year-old mare, who is trained by Ray Van Dreason and owned by Richard and Barbara Bailey.
In addition to wins behind Wild Goose Lodge and Saver, Whittemore also finished first with Talk To Tony, a bay son of Artiscape-Muggins Hanover, who became the track’s fastest 2-year-old pacing gelding of 2009 following a 1:56.3 maiden-breaking effort in Thursday’s second session for conditioner Van Dreason and owners Jay Sears and John Campagnuolo.
Trainer-driver Leslie Hale recorded his initial Vernon victory after teaming P L Calla, a 3-year-old filly pacer owned by the Prince Lee Acres, to a personal best 1:57.4 performance in Thursday’s fifth event.
Marks (Valley Crown) and trainer Jason Signor (Aunt Ruby and Valley Crown) were also credited with twin tallies during the nine-race program.
— Jim Moran
Aeronaut sits and strikes at Cal-Expo
Sacramento, CA — Conditioned distaffers, racing for a $5,300 purse, were in the final Cal-Expo Thursday feature until the Fall, in which Aeronaut repeated.
In advance of starting from post position one in the field of a half-dozen, driver Rick Plano knew to respect a class dropper that was no stranger to success in this class.
“I figured Little Bit Country (Steve Hyman) was the horse to beat and I kind of figured she’d go to the lead,” said Plano. “Since the front wasn’t really that good tonight, that made my chances good — especially since I thought I’d be in the pocket.”
Yielding the lead an eighth of a mile past the start, Plano sensed something good after an opening quarter, timed in :29.
“Just past the quarter, I was glad Steve Hyman was setting a legitimate pace — which was a major plus for me because I now knew I didn’t have to move until somewhere around the head of the stretch. If my horse was good enough I’d beat them.”
Remaining in the garden spot through a first half-mile, timed in :58.3, Plano would sit chilly until popping out of the two-hole at the three-quarter station, timed in 1:26.3.
“She isn’t a big brush mare, she’s a grinder. So I wanted to get her in gear, which is why I came a little earlier than I needed to. I knew that once I got her in gear that she’d have a chance if she came back to the very good mile she went last week.”
Now gradually gaining in the lane, Plano, despite Little Bit Country going on, was actually more worried about another foe.
“In the stretch I kind of thought I had Little Bit Country, but I was more concerned about Castle Oaks (Tim Maier) beating me from behind because she had followed me and she can come home a pretty good last quarter — which is what her game is.”
Surging into the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to go and under a drive, Plano’s concerns never came to pass and his charge would actually draw clear on the wire.
“Despite my horse leaning in a little bit in the lane, she was strong and came a very good last quarter.”
Owned by Lester Hunsucker and William Petzolt, the Tom Wine ll trained 4-year-old won ($6.60) by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:55, a seasonal best. Little Bit Country finished in second and Castle Oaks finished another three-quarters of a length farther back in third.
“It was a dream trip. I got a two-hole ride and loose when I had to and she stuck to the task and got it done,” finished Plano, who had four winners on the card. For Tom Wine ll, this conditioning victory completed a training triple.
— Scott Ehrlich