Aided by live three-wide cover from prohibitive favourite JK Panache, Jet Airway ($29.00) and 24-year-old driver Atlee Bender teamed up to spring a 13-1 upset in Saturday (August 13) evening's $10,000 Open/Preferred Handicap Pace at Vernon Downs.
The five-year-old Jeremes Jet entire dropped to the back of the quintet early on as Jacksrluckytoo (Greg Merton) sprinted off to establish a blistering pace. After a :25.4 first quarter, Jacksrluckytoo faced pressure in the form of 37-1 outsider Modern Gesture (Fern Paquet Jr.) through middle splits of :53.3 and 1:21.4. As Jacksrluckytoo worked in an attempt to stave off his first-over challenger, 1-10 favourite JK Panache (Truman Gale) mounted a three-wide bid with Jet Airway looming right behind. Ultimately, Jet Airway circled four-wide off the turn and struck the front at the eighth pole while the pace imploded. Jet Airway ultimately bested JK Panache by three-quarters of a length in 1:49.2 over sloppy going, while third-place finisher Modern Gesture checked in a farther five and three-quarter lengths in arrears.
Trainer Erv Miller co-owns Jet Airway with Tangie Massey, Paul Sunderhaus, and Larry Agle. For Bender, both of his career driving victories in but five starts to date came with Jet Airway, now a 14-time winner.
The card began with a $5,000 C.K.G. Billings series event for amateur drivers, and Vernon Downs mainstay Celebrity Sitmulus ($9.30) dug in to hold off a late charge from the pocket-sitting Star Studded Cast in 1:57. Owner David Glasser drove the Homer Hochstetler trainee, a six-year-old Cantab Hall gelding.
Two-year-old trotters take center stage in a Kindergarten Classic preliminary leg when live racing returns to Vernon Downs on Thursday (August 18) evening. The first of 13 races is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Eastern.
(Vernon Downs)