Vernon, N.Y. — In addition to the annual Turn Back the Clock races and the Four One One for grey pacers, Vernon Downs hosted the harness racing finals of the Kindergarten Classic series–worth a combined $366,000–on Saturday (October 31) evening.
The $191,500 Kindergarten final for 2-year-old colts and geldings saw eventual winner Dog Gone Lucky ($4.80) vault clear from his post 9 dispatch, controlling a :57.2 half mile before yielding briefly to a rapidly-advancing Celebrity Express (John Campbell) before exiting the back straight. As Celebrity Express started to struggling upon exiting the far turn, Corey Callahan edged off the pegs with Dog Gone Lucky, pressing to the lead just past reaching the three-quarter mark in 1:25.3. Dog Gone Lucky, narrowly in front on his own accord, inherited two lengths clearance over the others when Celebrity Express broke stride off the far turn. The son of Lucky Chucky and Ebbtide Hall would hold that lead intact over a late-rallying Waitlifter K (David Miller) and Mavens Way (Ã…ke Svanstedt), prevailing in 1:54.2.
Chuck Sylvester trains Dog Gone Lucky for owners Amy Stoltzfus and Charles Stansley.
In the $174,500 Kindergarten final for 2-year-old fillies, the complexion of the race changed when both halves of the Jimmy Takter-trained 1-10 entry–Haughty and Hollywood Hill–broke stride on approach to the far turn. An extended duel between Sweet Ashley T (Homer Hochstetler) and Radiant Beam (David Miller), joined at the quarter pole by Lookin Sharp (Callahan), ultimately dissolved as 91-1 outsider Wildflower ($185.50) split foes in the final sixteenth to just prevail in 1:55.4. Trainer-driver Ã…ke Svanstedt shares ownership of the daughter of Muscle Hill and Lightning Flower with Douglas Sipple along with Mal and Janet Burroughs.
Earlier in the program, Artic Byrd ($22.40) took advantage of a ground-saving trip to take the Four One One for grey pacers, taking over late in 1:54.2 under trainer-driver Truman Gale. The pair of Turn Back The Clock races, contested clockwise at seven furlogns, went to trotter Mystical Con ($29.40, Claude Huckabone, III, 1:43.1), and pacer Sucrose Hanover ($17.40, Chris Lems, 1:39.3).
Live racing returns to Vernon Downs on Friday (November 6) evening, with post time slated for 6:45 p.m. Eastern standard time.
by James Witherite, Vernon Downs
Attached: Dog Gone Lucky (Corey Callahan up) and Wildflower (#7, Ã…ke Svanstedt in white cap) take their respective Kindergarten Classic finals. Fotowon photos.