Jane Dunavant’s Taste Of Paradise and Manley Brown’s Justgottogetthere scored respective final leg wins in a pair late closer trotting series Thursday afternoon at Colonial Downs.
The $7,250 VHHA Trotting Series finale was contested at a 1-¼ mile distance after two one mile early legs. Taste Of Paradise, who captured the first leg over a sloppy track in 1:57.1, trotted fifth mid-way through the second turn Thursday before coming outside to challenge front stepping Rise N Shine. Driver Joey Mapes gave the four-year-old Pegasus Spur mare a methodical stretch drive and she beat the prior leader by a half length in 2:31.4.
The $7,000 Todd & Doug Parker Memorial Trotting Series finale remained at the mile distance. Justgottogetthere, who earned a second-leg triumph in 1:55.4 after losing by a head in the first, got a perfect pocket trip from driver Corey Braden en route to a 1:57 victory. The three-year-old Valley Victor gelding beat fast-closing Winsome Moni by 1-¼ lengths for his fifth win of the year. The win also gave leading trainer Manley Brown his 19th of the fall meet.
Four races were contested at the three-quarter mile distance and all had quick finishing times of either 1:22.2 or 1:22.3. Jason Green’s Trophy Hunter and Brad Irvine’s Dr Lon both connected at the faster clocking while Evan Coblentz’s Fakeutu Bluegrass and Gerald Longo’s Energy Angle were one-fifth of a second slower.
Docs Bonanza authored the meet‘s fastest mile with an impressive wire-to-wire effort in 1:50.4. The five-year-old The Panderosa horse hit fractions of :26.3, :55 and 1:23 before crossing in his new life mark. Docs Bonanza is owned and trained by Mary Dawson.
(Colonial Downs)