PW Ivory Grin and Vacation Day shared the spotlight during Friday night’s program at Vernon Downs
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PW Ivory Grin ($119.50) gained a career-best 1:54.4 upset victory in the season’s final Miracle Mile-1 test for female pacers, while Vacation Day ($55.00) delivered a 1:56 triumph in the last MM-1 trotting clash of Vernon’s 57th season.
Claude Huckabone, Jr. drove for co-owner-trainer Arnie Marks and his partner, William Williams, Jr., as PW Ivory Grin rallied from seventh in the early going and closed from sixth in the final quarter to eek-out a head decision over Blueridge Betty in Friday’s $13,200 ninth race. It marked the second win in succession, the fifth at the meet and seventh all-time for the four-year-old mare, whose career earnings went over the $70,000 mark.
Vacation Day led from start to finish in Friday’s $13,200 eighth event and earned a 1-3/4 length victory over the favourite, Oh No Three O. It was the third straight score for the four-year-old black horse, who secured his fifth season’s win and seventh lifetime tally for trainer Jamie Paquet and his ownership partner, the In Front Racing stable.
Vacation Day’s driver, Fern Paquet, Jr., produced a double during Friday’s 10-race program, as did 10-time track driving champ Howard Okusko, Jr.
Vernon will wrap up it’s 90-card campaign with Saturday night’s 10-race program, that begins at 6:55 p.m.
(Vernon Downs)