After tracking prohibitive favourite Sweet Thing for all but the final two hundred yards, Donn Lewandrowski and Gail Farrell's Painite ($13.00) scored a minor upset in Saturday (May 30) evening's $8000 Mares Open II Trot at Vernon Downs.
The six-year-old Plesac mare secured the pocket behind Sweet Thing (Chris Lems) from race's outset, tracking a sensible :56.1 first half-mile before ceding second to the first-over McKenzies Star (Fern Paquet Jr.). Painite stalked a :28.4 third quarter duel, ultimately making her move in mid-stretch after McKenzies Star tired from her two-wide press. Painite pounced late on the softened Sweet Thing, edging clear by one and a half lengths in a 1:55 score. McKenzies Star faded to third, and Leahs Ex (Jimmy Whittemore) rounded out the scratch-reduced field of four.
Trainer Truman Gale handled the driving duties aboard Painite.
The evening's final three races--including a $10,000 Open Trot--were abandoned due to the Central New York weather taking a sudden turn for the worse after the seventh race was completed. Live racing returns on Sunday (May 31) afternoon, with post time slated for 1:15 p.m.
(Vernon Downs)