Eight distaff pacers contested a $5500 purse in the co-featured eighth race, with 3-2 favorite Janie Bay (Greg Merton) handling the pace-setting duties after she cleared from post 7. While able to rate a :57.4 middle half, she ultimately was softened up by first-over pressure from Sweet Bettor (Chris Lems) before Table Games made her move from the pocket in mid-stretch. The 6-year-old Bettor's Delight mare stormed to the fore, just holding off a late bid from Kardashian (Truman Gale) in 1:53.1. Frank Davis drove Table Games for owner Edmund Namiotka, Jr. and trainer Paul Minckler.
The tenth race saw seven trotters vie for a $5100 purse, with Jitterbug ceding the lead to 6-5 favorite Sweet Thing (John MacDonald) on the backstretch after clearing from post 5 through a :27.4 initial quarter. Sweet Thing faced no challengers through the far turn, before Brett Crawford angled Jitterbug out of the pocket in mid-stretch to give chase. The 4-year-old Kadabra entire trotted right past, edging clear by 1-1/4 lengths to prevail in 1:54.1. Jackie Rousse trains the victorious Jitterbug for owner Janie Martin.
Live racing resumes at Vernon Downs on Saturday (June 6) evening, headlined by a pair of $61,300 New York Sire Stakes events for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings. First post for the 14-race program is 7:10 p.m. Eastern time, just after the simulcast of the 147th Belmont Stakes.
by James Witherite, Vernon Downs