Credit Winner Trot Final to American Lane

American Lane turned an ideal journey into a 1:54 triumph in the $137,000 Credit Winner Trot final on a picture-perfect July 4th afternoon at Vernon Downs.

With crowd wagering choice San Remo Kosmos cutting the mile in the featured eighth event, American Lane and driver Cat Manzi slipped into second and remained covered up through splits of :27.1, :56.4 and 1:26.1. The 6-year-old bay sat third when Beach Nut Brand became the chief pursuer with an outside rush around the final bend, but he found racing room in the stretch and closed in a :27.3 final quarter to defeat San Remo Kosmos by a half-length. Up Front Ben beat out a tiring Beach Nut Brand for third.

The 1:54 performance is the fastest trotting mile of the meet and it missed Vernon’s track standard for older trotting geldings by one and four-fifths seconds. It was the third win in the last five starts for the career-winner of more than $678,400 and his eighth first-place finish in 21 season’s starts. Carl Cito, Jr. conditions the talented son of Primrose Lane-Colors Of The Wind for owners David Scharf and Jerry Silva.

It was one of two first-place finishes on the afternoon for Hall-of-Famer Manzi, who also steered the sophomore trotting gelding Di Manggio to a 1:57 score in Friday’s first event for trainer Larry Rathbone and the M&L of Delaware, Inc. contingent.

Taking a lesson from American Lane, Rosa Villa used a pocket trip to record a career best 1:54 victory in Friday’s $10,000 ninth race, the week’s top Miracle Mile class for female pacers. With Claude Huckabone, III doing the sulky sitting for trainer Dustin Miller, the 5-year-old mare out-scrapped Mystic Player in the lane to earn a nose decision and record her second tally of 2008.  Michael Sorentino, Jr. owns the career winner of $173,818, who paid $47.00, $9.70 and $4.20 across the board.

Downs Doings: The track’s annual Independence Day weekend fireworks show will follow Saturday’s (July 5) nine-race program, which gets underway at 6:55 p.m.…The Downs will offer live programs at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, July 8, 15, 22 and 29, this month only…The track’s weeklong afternoon and evening simulcasts begin daily at 11:00 a.m., while its video gaming facility operates from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. More information can be obtained at www.vernondowns.com. (Vernon Downs)

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