Jason Barlett starred in stakes action at Vernon Downs on Saturday, Oct. 11 as he drove the winners of three of four $352,113 Big Apple Finals for all classes of two-year-olds.

Spencer Hanover highlighted the stakes triple for Bartlett, smashing a track record in the Big Apple Final for trotting colts and geldings. Favourite AI (Yannick Gingras) went on a break before the start, and Twin B Seven Sins (Tyler Buter) led to the quarter in :26.2 before himself breaking stride coming off the first turn. Read The Room (Dylan Huckabone-Miller) then took over the lead and was first to the midway point in :54.2 before taking on Titans Mischief (Matt Kakaley) through three-quarters in 1:23.4. Spencer Hanover made his move three-wide at the bottom of the final turn and blew by the leaders, storming clear by 8-3/4 lengths to take his first career win and set the track record for two-year-old trotters in 1:52.3.  Whos Eyes Blues (Brett Beckwith) finished second over Titans Mischief.

Spencer Hanover ($6.92), a son of Chapter Seven-Secret Passion, has now earned $262,118 in 10 outings.  He is owned by Jeff Snyder and Arthur Pronti and trained by Marcus Melander.

Nezuko Kamado S, the third of Bartlett's stakes winners, tied a divisional record in the trotting filly contest and completed a sweep of the trot finals for Melander. Storybook Love (Todd Ratchford) was first to the front and put up a :27 quarter before Nezuko Kamado S grabbed control. She led to the half in :56.2 and three-quarters in 1:26.1 and was resolute down the lane, holding the chasing Storybook Love a length behind for the victory. Sharp Seven (Jeff Gregory) was third. The 1:54 mile equalled the track record for two-year-old trotting fillies.

Nezuko Kamado S ($5.06) took her fifth win in eight starts and raised her earnings to $491,083. The Chapter Seven-Zefira Kronos It filly is a homebred for Courant Inc.

Bartlett guided a dominant Fragment to victory in the Big Apple Final for pacing colts and geldings. Fragment tore through the quarter in :25.4 but was faced with the first-up Lakewood Nick (Yannick Gingras) to the half in :55.2. He put that rival away before three-quarters 1:24, then rocketed away from the rest with a :26 final quarter to win by 11-3/4 lengths in 1:50. Hunting Glory (Jordan Stratton) finished second over Ghost Hunt (Ray Schnttker).

Fragment ($2.30), who won his New York Sire Stakes Final earlier this year, is now eight-for-12 with $704,254 in earnings. Per Engblom trains the son of Huntsville-The Show Returns for Engblom Stable LLC, Douglas Sipple, and Peaceful Acre Farm.

Long Shore held on after a taxing trip to capture the pacing filly event. She got away fifth for Yannick Gingras but was out and moving past the quarter in :26.2, brushing past early leader Liberty Style (Bartlett) to take over at the half in :55.4. Odds On Monetary (Ridge Warren) assailed the leader through three-quarters in 1:23.3, but Long Shore repelled her at the top of the lane and staved off the late rally of Existential (Matt Kakaley) by a half-length to prevail in 1:51.4. Odds On Monetary was third.

Long Shore ($5.44), trained by Joe Pavia Jr., has won seven times in nine tries for earnings of $258,445. Her only two defeats came as a result of breaks in her previous two biggest purse tries — a New York Sire Stakes leg and her Excelsior Series Final. The American Ideal-Butchie Beach filly races for owners Vince Ferriero Jr., Dominic Pavia, Eric Prevost, and Lon Frocione.

While Bartlett grabbed the stakes glory, Leon Bailey dominated the undercard with five wins. He oversaw Pembroke Ali's ($3.28) fifth straight victory, with the seven-year-old gelding demolishing his foes by 5-1/2 lengths in 1:52.2 for trainer Joe Skowyra and owners J.R. Ryan and Collin Ryan. Bailey also scored with Monetary Justice ($4.66), Keg Party ($35.98), American Sunshine ($3.82), and Logo ($5.08). Bailey, coming off a career-best year of 214 wins, has racked up 169 victories to date in 2025 and has already set a new seasonal record for earnings. Bailey, a three-time driving titlist at Vernon, now sits 12 wins behind leader Chris Long in the standings this year.

Bailey was in the bike for two-thirds of a training triple for Jessica Okusko. Prior to wins with American Sunshine and Logo, Gregory got Okusko's Idealchrissy ($54.78) home in the third race. The Okusko barn is clicking at a 23.3 per cent rate this year with 48 victories from 206 starts. 

Live racing returns to Vernon Downs on Friday, Oct. 17 with a post time of 5:05 p.m.

(With files from Vernon Downs; photo of Spencer Hanover winning on Oct. 11)