Track record-holder Whata Winner produced the fastest divisional tally in Friday night’s $156,410 New York Sires Stakes feature for three-year-old male trotters at Vernon Downs
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Whata Winner, who established a 1:55 standard for sophomore geldings on the diagonal gait at Vernon with a win in the John Simpson, Sr. Memorial Stake on May 15, came within two-fifths of a second of that mark with his one-length triumph in Friday’s seventh session. He paid $6.80 to win.
Part-owner and trainer Jim Doherty did the driving as Whata Winner rallied overland from fourth at the quarter and closed from third in pay dirt to snap a string of four consecutive second-place finishes.
The bay son of Credit Winner-Whata Chippie has now recorded four wins and a like number of seconds in nine current appearances for Doherty and his partners, Thomas Dillon and Terrax, Inc. He’s now a career-winner of $164,500.
Friday’s other NYSS winners were Folk Tail, in 1:56.1 for the Little E LLC stable, Boztheman in 1:57.1 for Robert and David Anderson, Classical Winner in 1:57.4 for owner Anders Olaf, and Deliver Delovin in 1:58 for the Winbak Farm and Purple Haze Stable.
Folk Tail earned his second season’s score after Josh Marks, sitting in for trainer Bob Bencal, teamed the brown son of Conway Hall-Fairy Tail to a personal best win record in Race 3.
Boztheman, competing for only the fifth time in his brief career, displayed style and substance as Marks, steering for trainer Trond Smedshammer, urged the bay son of Credit Winner-Kosmo Girl to a maiden-breaking triumph in Race 8.
With Marcus Johansson catch driving for trainer Bjorn Noren, Classical Winner, a bay son Credit Winner-Classical Motion, secured his second season’s score and a new win mark in Race 5.
Deliver Delovin earned his second straight NYSS score and a new trotting speed tab after Howard Okusko, Jr. guided the bay son of Malabar Man-Armbro Nuzzle to his third season’s tally in Friday’s opener.
Jim Morrill, Jr. did the guiding as Oven Ready recorded his fourth straight score for owner and trainer Ray Saunders in Friday’s $11,000 ninth race, the week’s Miracle Mile 1 contest, tying Sharpshootennorris for most wins by a diagonal-gaited equine at the 28-night-old meet, and equaling the longest winning streak at the Downs thus far in 2010, a mark shared by Sharpshootennorris and the pacer Pickmeamerigold.
(Vernon Downs)