High Speed Life came alive in the homestretch and turned a pocket-sitting trip into a career-fastest 1:51.4 victory in Saturday night’s $10,500 featured Open Pace at Vernon Downs.
Trainer Roman Lopez did the teaming in Saturday’s ninth race, keeping High Speed Life ($14.60) in the desired two slot behind the pace-setting Forty Carrots until the final furlong, where she rallied to defeat the on-rushing Yankees In Six by a head.
Saturday’s score was the fourth locally, the sixth this season and the 27th all-time for the energetic six-year-old daughter of Lease On Life-Nano, who is shared in ownership by Lopez and Mitchell Frair.
Saturday’s swiftest score over a track dulled to “good” by rain was turned in by No Monkeys Allowed, who came from off the pace to equal his lifetime record with a 1:51.2 mile in the evening’s $8,000 first event. Brian Connor, who earned his first triple of the 44-program meet during the 11-race card, did the teaming for trainer Edgar Clarke and the Robert J. Orr/Garry J. Jonas ownership duo. It marked the first Vernon victory, but the fifth season’s tally for the bay battler, who now sports 13 career wins and earnings of more than $178,000.
Chris Lems also logged three first-place driving victories, plus a training triumph, during the program, while Lopez notched a pair of sulky scores and a training tally.
Racing Secretary Scott Warren has instituted a five per cent across-the-board purse increase for all “overnight” classes at the Downs.
The Downs will present live racing Wednesday-Saturday next week starting at 6:55 p.m. The track will offer a new handicapping contest during its final four Wednesday programs of the season (Aug. 1, 8, 15 and 22). The Downs will host a New York Sires Stakes sponsored contest for two-year-old filly pacers on Wednesday night, Aug. 8
(Vernon Downs)