John Pauls Legacy displayed his speed and spirit during a 1:55.1 triumph in Friday night’s $10,000 Open Handicap Trot at Vernon Downs
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Trainer Angus MacDonald did the driving over a track rated 'good' in Friday’s eighth event as John Pauls Legacy ($7.70) overpowered his five foes through splits of :27.3, :57.2 and 1:26.2. Still in command entering the homestretch, the four-year-old son of Credit Winner-Amore Vita was headed, and passed briefly by newcomer Joe Page, before reclaiming the advantage in the final sixteenth and striding on to a two-length tally.
The gritty performance increased his current local win count to three, his season’s scores to five and his lifetime victories to 11. Emil Benvenuto owns the career winner of $232,339, who sports a 1:54 speed badge.
MacDonald also won with the trotter Choke Hold (1:57.4) in Friday’s second race to record his fourth double at the meet. The five-year-old son of Conway Hall-Copper Line secured his third current score for Kevin Ciarpelli, Daniel Altman and the MGM Racing Stable.
Driver Jack Rice logged his second two-win outing of the weekend and fourth at the track this year after finishing first with Sam Rice’s trotter Good And Plenty (1:58.2) and Dusty Diamond (1:58.3), owned by Anthony Peters and Mark Vanko.
(Vernon Downs)