A Penny Earned captured the $10,000 Open Trot, while Ray Schnittker secured two scores in the opening round of the Catherine Burton Memorial Trotting Series on a rainy Friday night at Vernon Downs.

Competing over a “sloppy” track in race nine, A Penny Earned eked out a neck tally in his initial venture of 2013. With Chris Lems doing the driving, the determined four-year-old bay horse rallied on the outside from fourth at the half and closed from second in the final strides to nip the front-striding Grey Ice in an impressive 1:57.3 performance.

It marked the ninth career win for the quick-footed son of Conway Hall-Penny Dream, who boosted his all-time winnings to $206,556 for trainer George Ducharme and his ownership partners Alfred Ross, Paul Fontaine and Nicola Oliva.

The bay battler’s winning time was just three-fifths of a second off the fastest trotting mile of the three-night meet, set by Aruba Vacation last Friday.

Trainer Schnittker steered Il Pizzaiolo (2:01.4) and Laughing King (1:59.4) to victories in the new Burton Series, which honours the memory of a long-time track horsewoman and owner, who passed away at the age 88 last January. The first-place finishes resulted in initial career scores for each promising sophomore son of Deweycheatumnhowe.

Friday’s other Burton winners were Pollux Blue Chip (2:00.4) and Hold On Tightly (2:01.4).

Friday’s fastest mile was a 1:53.3 spin around Vernon’s soggy seven-eighths-mile oval in race eight by Buck Stops Here, with John MacDonald doing the teaming for trainer Tracy Brainard and her partners Charles and Giorgan Iannazzo.

The meet’s initial two-time winners are the trotters Hold On Tightly, Ziegler Hanover, Alarming Quick and Scorpion Moon, who secured his 92nd career tally in race 12.

(Vernon Downs)