On a Friday (October 9) evening where steady rain and a stiff headwind in the home straight severely affected the closing ability of many, only one horse of the 78 which raced at Vernon Downs on the 10-race program could muster a final quarter-mile faster than 29 seconds.
That horse was three-year-old trotting colt J A T O ($3.00), and his :28.2 closing sectional propelled him to his fourth win in as many local starts after he enjoyed dominance on the New York State fair circuit.
Fern Paquet Jr. settled the son of Big Apple Deli well off a soft early pace in the $5,500 sub-featured event, rated well off a 1:00.3 initial half-mile from Charming Dream (Claude Huckabone III) before angling second-over to track Jersey Boy (Josh Kinney) on approach to the far turn. While Jersey Boy forced a quickening :29.2 third quarter from Charming Dream by stepping up the pressure through the turn, J A T O fanned three-wide off the corner, vaulting clear in the final furlong. The William Okusko trainee drew off by four and a quarter lengths for a 1:59 triumph over sloppy going, earning his 23rd career win in 25 races for Margaret and Amy Butler.
In the evening's featured $8,000 Open II Trot, War Hero ($3.80) brushed to the lead at race's mid-point, drawing clear at will for a seven and a quarter length win over Big Chocolate (Jimmy Whittemore) and the mildly gaining Oh No Three O (Jeffrey Long), stopping the timer in 1:58.4 after posting a monstrous :27.4 third quarter. Ben McNeil drove the homebred seven-year-old Ken Warkentin gelding for owner Howard Gill and trainer Jessica Okusko.
(Vernon Downs)