Splendid Les repeats at Vernon

Splendid Les turned in a repeat victory in the top Miracle Mile trotting class at Vernon Downs on Thursday night. Competing in the $10,000 featured eighth event, Splendid Les idled directly behind the mile-cutter, Eng-amer Davanti, through three-quarters, and then closed with a flurry to record a three-quarter-length decision over the fast closing Butterscotch Swirl. Eng-amer Davanti held on for third.

Thursday’s 1:56.1 triumph resulted in the third Vernon tally and fourth season’s score for the 7-year-old gelding, who is conditioned by former Downs driving champion John Stark Jr. and owned by the Barnik Racing Stable. The smooth striding son of Angus Hall is now a career winner of more than $171,500.

The textbook score was one of three during the evening for driver Jimmy Whittemore, the meet’s top dash-winner with 60 first-place finishes. While recording his seventh local hat-trick of 2008, the talented 24-year-old reinsman also won with the trotter Goldstarlook N, in 1:58.4 for trainer Lonny Hale and owner Harry Nieberg, and with the frosh pacing filly Won Native Night, in 1:59 for trainer Ray Van Dreason and the Scott Hay, Alan Levine and Parsimonious Racing Stable ownership contingent.

Defending training champ Hale harnessed two winners during Thursday’s 10-race program, while driver Josh Marks raised his local win count to 45 with a driving double. Chris Lems also notched two Thursday triumphs.

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