Heston Blue Chip, Forever Just, Blackjack Princess and Up Front Sharon were each divisional winners in Saturday’s $62,534 John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes for two-year-old pacers, while Tim Tetrick teamed five first-place finishers during a raw and rainy fall evening at Vernon Downs
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The Linda Toscano trainees Heston Blue Chip (1:54.4) and Forever Just (1:55) won segments of the $31,924 Simpson contest for male members of the lateral gait, while the Mark Ford conditioned youngsters Blackjack Princess (1:55.4) and Up Front Sharon (1:55.4) posted their victories in the event’s $30,610 filly flights.
Heston Blue Chip (American Ideal-Shot Togo Bluechip), the track’s season’s speed leader for freshman colt side-wheelers on the basis of his 1:52.4 New York Sires Stakes score on Sept. 24, extended his winning streak to six with a bold-going effort over a “sloppy” track in the 10th of 12 pari-mutual races. The solid score, which provided Tetrick with his fifth win, improved the gifted colt’s summery line to 10 wins and a second-place finish in 11 starts for local owner Ken Jacobs. The career-winner of more than $273,900 is the 2011 NYSS champion for his class as the result of a 1:53.3 victory in his previous start at Saratoga on Oct. 1.
Forever Just (Bettors Delight-Forever Cam) improved his summary line to 7-4-1 following 12 official trips to the track after Tetrick steered him to a fast-closing 1:55 triumph in Saturday’s fifth event. Fred Wallace and the Stake Your Claim Stable hold the registration papers on the capable colt, who now sports a $188,689 bankroll.
Tetrick was also at the controls behind Blackjack Princess (Cams Card Shark-Happy Doris) in the sixth event as the frisky filly converted a draft-along trip into a tight tally over Arodasi. It marked her fourth official win in succession and gave the bay side-wheeler a 5-4-2 performance line after 12 appearances. Robert O. Di Nozzi owns the career winner of $102,750.
Up Front Sharon (American Ideal-Jeff Diamond) earned her front-ending, 4-3/4 length tally in a non-betting contest between the second and third pari-mutuel races. Jim Morrill, Jr. did the sulky-sitting for owner-trainer Ford and his partner, C. Ed Mulinax, as the steady-going filly advanced her record to 3-3-1 and winnings to more than $78,000 after eight starts.
Tetrick also finished first with the pacer Dots Bigboy (1:56.3) and Open Pace winner Diamond Stick Pin (1:54) to tie Frank Milby, Chris Lems and Rick Plano for most Vernon victories on a single season’s program after 78 racing cards.
Ford ended the evening with three training tallies, while Toscano, drivers Morrill, Jr., Milby and Brian Sears were each two-time Saturday winners.
There are now just 12 programs remaining during Vernon’s 58th season…The Downs will continue with a Thursday-Saturday night schedule for the remainder of this month, before to switching to a Friday-Saturday slate during the first three weekends in November, ending its 58th campaign on Nov. 19.
(Vernon Downs)