The two-year-old stakes season officially begins at Vernon Downs on Friday night, when the sophomore New York-bred trotting colts travel to Vernon, New York.
Four divisions of New York Sire Stakes and five divisions of the Excelsior Series will highlight a 12-race program that kicks off at 6:55 pm.
While hope and promise is still at an all time high for the youngsters with most making their pari-mutuel debuts, there are a few that seem to stick out above the rest.
In the third division, Tyler Raymer will harness up morning-line favourite Tirade Hanover (to be driven by Howard Parker) from Post 8. The son of Crazed has put a qualifier and a baby race into his win column already this year.
In the fourth division, Howard Parker has landed on another morning-line favourite, this time for trainer John Grasso with Explosive Action. The son of Conway Hall is coming off of a 1:58.3 win in a qualifier at the Meadowlands Racetrack where he has qualified on four occasions. The duo will leave from Post 5 in Race 9.
Vernon Downs will kick off its weekend of live racing on Friday, July 6 with a first-race post time of 6:55 p.m.
(With files from Vernon)