The $350,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial open trotting stakes and $142,000 filly stakes will be raced at Vernon Downs on Saturday, July 8 with a matinee post time of 12:15 p.m. Local businessman and prolific Standardbred owner Ken Jacobs has a top contender in each with Ari Ferrari J in the open and Walner Payton racing the fillies.
The proximity of Vernon Downs to Jacobs's hometown of Baldwinsville, New York led to Vernon being the first track he would attend, many years ago. That visit would lead to a long and lucrative career owning Standardbreds that include 2012 Dan Patch Award-winning three-year-old colt pacer Heston Blue Chip, $1 million winner Kenneth J and the great sire Walner, who has taken trotting by storm the past few seasons.
Ken Jacobs with Walner at The Meadowlands.
"I think it was 1960, when I first went to Vernon Downs," recalled Jacobs. "It's my favourite track, but I really don't race there as much as I'd like anymore because Walner stands in New Jersey so most of what I buy are Jersey-breds.
"I so enjoy the horses that I often name them with the first name of family members with the 'J' for Jacobs. There have been so many that now they are named for my great-grandchildren Ari and Payton who, with their parents, will be coming with me on Saturday.
"Winning the Zweig would mean a lot, but it's a horse race, you have to have some luck. I'm bringing a crowd, around 25 of us will be there -- family, neighbours -- it's exciting so I'm hoping for a good day."
Jacobs is looking to have drawn a winning hand on the day with a pair of sevens, the post positions his horses have drawn for their Zweig divisions. Actually, there are several similarities shared by his two entries on Saturday.
Both are by the prolific Walner, a horse that Jacobs bought as a yearling, owned throughout his enigmatic racing career and eventually syndicated. Walner's accomplishments as a sire have surpassed his on-track exploits and ultimately could provide Jacobs with the pair of Grand Circuit wins he seeks at his home track.
Another commonality is that four-time defending U.S. Driver of the Year Dexter Dunn is the regular driver for both horses.
The open division contains no standout performers this season, rather matches a very even, solid field of nine sophomore colts and geldings. Jacobs is represented by the morning line favourite here in the speedy Ari Ferrari J (pictured above), a colt he plucked from the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for the princely sum of $620,000.
A stakes-winning career earner now of nearly $300,000, Ari Ferrari J has been competitive at the highest levels, boasts a fast 1:52 record and was a good third in last week's Yonkers Trot. He is trained by Tony Alagna.
Leading the competition are last year's Peter Haughton Memorial winner Kilmister (Brian Sears), who comes in off a win in the Empire Breeders Classic and multiple New York Sires Stakes winner Cecil Hanover (Ake Svanstedt). French Wine (Andy Miller) and The Gruffalo (Scott Zeron) were the winners of the Kentucky and New York regional finals as freshmen a year ago.
The grand filly Walner Payton will carry the hopes of Jacobs in the filly stakes. Another costly purchase as a yearling with a $510,000 price tag, Walner Payton has already paid dividends with her $645,637 in career earnings. She's won twice this season and taken a new mark of 1:51.4 while placing in a few major stakes. While the driver remains the same in Dunn, the trainer on Walner Payton is Chris Ryder.
Chief among contenders here is the ultra-consistent Sadie Hanover (Zeron), who's won five of six this year including an Empire Breeders Classic split in 1:51.3 over the course and another local hopeful in Crawford Farms' Royal Filly (Tyler Buter), who won the other Empire Breeders division last month.
The New York Sires Stakes for three-year-old filly pacers leads the undercard for the day.
Here is a look at the complete fields for the Zweig Memorials.
$142,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial - Three-Year-Old Filly Trot (Race 6)
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer
1. Blonde Bombshell - David Miller - Richard 'Nifty' Norman
2. Gigi Hanover - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
3. Royal Filly - Tyler Buter - Tony Alagna
4. Emira Mil IT - Mark MacDonald - Ake Svanstedt
5. Sadie Hanover - Scott Zeron - Linda Toscano
6. Canterbury Hanover - Jeff Gregory - Jeff Gregory
7. Walner Payton - Dexter Dunn - Chris Ryder
8. Kayleigh S - Brian Sears - Marcus Melander
9. Usosweet Blue Chip - Marcus Miller - Erv Miller
AE1. Warrawee Yes - TBA - Mark Steacy
AE2. Quick Stop - Tim Tetrick - Anette Lorentzon
$350,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial - Three-Year-Old Open Trot (Race 8)
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer
1. Chapercraz - Joe Bongiorno - Ron Burke
2. Manclane - Tyler Buter - John Butenschoen
3. Kilmister - Brian Sears - Marcus Melander
4. French Wine - Andy Miller - Julie Miller
5. Country Dagger - Jason Bartlett - Melvin Schmucker
6. Cecil Hanover - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
7. Ari Ferrari J - Dexter Dunn - Tony Alagna
8. The Gruffalo - Scott Zeron - Mark Harder
9. Some Kinda Crazy - David Miller - John Butenschoen
AE1. Top Leader S - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
AE2. Purple Lord - David Miller - John Butenschoen
(With files from Vernon Downs)