Golden Receiver equals Vernon mark in victory

Golden Receiver equaled the 1:51.1 track standard for 4-year-old pacing geldings, while Folk Tail turned in the swiftest mile of the meet by a 2-year-old trotting gelding during Saturday night’s (Sept. 19) 12-race program at Vernon Downs.

 

Andrew McCarthy drove for trainer Mark Harder in Saturday’s $10,000 fifth race and guided Golden Receiver to a fast-closing two-length triumph in the week’s Open handicap. The quick-footed son of Village Jove-Royal Gold idled in fourth to the half, timed in :55 seconds, and then began a charge that enabled him to earn his seventh season’s score for the Stable 45, Richard Taylor, Stephen Springer and Nina Simmonds ownership contingent, and tie the Vernon record for 4-year-old altered side-wheelers that was set by On The Way Again in 2002. The career-winner of $102,600 obtained his 1:48.4 win-mark at The Meadowlands in New Jersey earlier this year.

 

Folk Tail’s 1:59 “maiden” victory came in the third division of Saturday’s $60,000 Kindergarten Classic Series for 2-year-olds. Jimmy Whittemore, the track’s leading driver with 97 tallies through 70 programs, did the steering for trainer Bob Bencal and directed the brown son of Conway Hall-Fairy Tail to a front-striding, one length tally in his fifth lifetime start. Little E LLC owns the career winner of $13,282.

 

Saturday evening’s other $10,000 divisional KCS winners included the colt pacer Fulfilled (Josh Marks driving for trainer/co-owner Mark Ford and his partner Roger Hammer) in 1:53.3; the colt trotter Coco Lindy (Howard Parker driving for trainer Frank Antonacci and the Lindy Farms of Conn.) in 1:58.4; the filly pacer Dancinwiththestarz (John Stark, Jr. steering for owners Shannon Brott and the W Springtime Racing Stable) in 1:55.2; the homebred filly trotter Offbroadway De Vie (Parker teaming for trainer Oyvind Hegdal, owner Peter Barbato and the Joie De Vie Farm) in 1:59, and the filly pacer Electricity (McCarthy sitting in for trainer Linda Toscano and the Enviro Stables, Ltd.) in 1:56.

 

Defending driving champ Josh Marks, who captured the night’s $8,000 Open-2 pace with Captain Grin in 1:52.1, earned three victories during the program, while drivers Whittemore, Parker, McCarthy and last season’s top trainer Tracy Brainard each produced a pair of first-place finishes. (Vernon)