Dan Dube does not discriminate. He and Jack Vernon ($8.40) went the distance Sunday afternoon (Nov. 18), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $54,800 Open Handicap Trot. The previous evening, Dube and Gokudo Hanover wired their foes in the week’s marquee pace.
Back to Jack Vernon, who won a several-horse scrum for the early lead, then gave nothing else a shot.
The nine-horse feature (one came up ill) served as the opener of seven added-distance trots broadcast to a French audience via simulcast.
From post position 4, Jack Vernon stuffed Gruden (Brian Sears) in behind, setting up shop before a :28 opening quarter-mile. It was a :57.1 half and 1:26.3 three-quarters before invading 3-2 favourite I Know My Chip (Jim Marohn Jr.) made his second move.
Wide early into a four-hole, I Know My Chip came first-up, but the bid was both brief and ineffective. Meanwhile, Jack Vernon was gone, widening past the 1:55.3 mile and opening four lengths on the final turn.
He finished it off by 2-1/4 lengths, getting the mile and a quarter in 2:25. Andy Ray (Jason Bartlett) offered late foot to wind up second, with Gruden, Lean Hanover (Jordan Stratton) and Lord Cromwell (Matt Kakaley) settling for the minors.
I Know My Chip back-pedalled to last.
For second choice Jack Vernon, a five-year-old Muscle Hill gelding owned by the Andy Miller Stable and trained by Julie Miller, it was his 10th win in 25 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $66, the triple returned $466.50 and the superfecta paid $2,828.
Technical difficulties resulted in the cancellation of the "New York, New York Double" for Sunday afternoon.
The next Sunday matinee is Nov. 25 (post time TBA).
(Yonkers Raceway)