Kindergarten splits featured Friday at Vernon

Two divisions of the Kindergarten Classic Series will co-feature Friday night’s 11-race card at Vernon Downs, along with a $9,000 Open Handicap Trot.

 

In the first race, a $10,000 Kindergarten Classic leg for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters, Ray Schnittker will send out the high-priced yearling Southwind Daytona from post position four. The $70,000 son of Cantab Hall-Dancing Patricia has yet to hit the board in five seasonal starts, but is getting a bit of class relief from the sire stakes in Pennsylvania and has not missed a check yet this year.

 

Schnittker trains and co-owns with the partnership of Feldman, Iannazzo, and Taylor, while Gareth Dowse has been listed for the driving assignment. His main competition will come from the rail in Upfront Pattys Boy, who posts the lone pari-mutuel win in the field. The 2-year-old son of Windsong’s Legacy-Ebba Hanover is trained by Mark Ford for Ed Mullinax of Amherst, Ohio. The freshman trotting colt sports a record of one win, one second, and one third in four seasonal starts.

 

In the third race, the lone division for 2-year-old trotting fillies none of the seven starters have ever posted a pari-mutuel win in their career. On Friday night, one of the freshman trotting fillies will collect their first lifetime pari-mutuel win.

 

The most royally-bred filly of the field Playoff Volo will be making her second lifetime start, and is the daughter of Classic Photo and the great trotting mare Stroke Play. Jan Johnson trains and drives the filly for Jorgen Jahre Jr. of Norway who purchased the filly for $60,000 as a yearling.

 

The filly coming into the race with the most impressive line would have to be number five (leaving from post position six) Full Tank. The 2-year-old daughter of Muscles Yankee-Arenal is coming off of a qualifying victory last Friday at Vernon Downs where the filly won by 10 lengths in 1:59.1 with a final panel of :28.3. Robert Bencal trains Full Tank for Little E LLC of New York, N.Y., and it will be the third start of the year for the youngster. (Tioga Downs)