Ginger Girl made the most of an ideal journey to capture the $8,500 first race on Thursday night at Vernon Downs. With Claude Huckabone III doing the teaming in the week’s Open Handicap Trot, Ginger Girl followed the pacesetting favorite Splendid Les until the stretch drive and then accelerated to a five-length triumph in a career-best 1:55.2 mile.
The textbook trip earned the 5-year-old mare her second win in succession and fourth on the campaign for trainer/co-owner Claude Huckabone Jr. and Casey Miller. She’s a lifetime winner of nearly $216,800.
The win was one of two on the evening for Huckabone III, who also piloted the trotter Giacomo Hanover to a fast-closing 1:58.2 score in Thursday’s fifth race for the Huckabone Jr.-Miller partnership. The Purple Haze Stable’s fleet-footed 4-year-old mare Wanda’s Choice turned in the fastest mile of the night when Howard Okusko Jr. guided her to an enthusiastic 1:53 tally in the sixth session. The bold-going effort produced the second local tally this season for the career-winner of $60,972. Okusko and Jimmy Whittemore each recorded two victories during Thursday’s 10-race card and remained tied (at seven) for top honors in that department. Defending champ Okusko is the meet’s top race-winner with 35 tallies, while Whittemore sits third in the standings with 22 first place credits. Theater Production, a career-winner of $226,416 for owner Robert Blackman Jr., earned his first trip to the winner’s circle in 2007 after Ruel (Dude) Goodblood, Jr. directed him to a 1:55.3 triumph in Thursday’s secondary trotting feature. Downs Doings: In addition to his training double, Claude Huckabone Jr. collected a driving victory when he brought the John Minckler-trained trotter Four Starzzzz Bass home on top in Thursday’s eighth event for owner Mitchell Frair…Vernon will present 11 live races following the Belmont Stakes simulcast, or at approximately 6:45 p.m., on Saturday night…Vernon’s video gaming facility operates daily from 10 a.m. until 2 a.m., while the track’s simulcast offerings begin each day at 11 a.m. (Vernon Downs)
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