Western Tsunami wins gate to wire at Vernon

Western Tsunami, recently purchased by trainer Dennis Whittemore, produced a quick return on the investment with a 1:53.1 victory in the $3,400 ninth race at Vernon Downs on Tuesday night.

With son Jimmy Whittemore doing the teaming, Western Tsunami made every station a winning one en route to a convincing score and a career best win clocking. The 2 1/4-length tally was the second at the meet for the 4-year-old gelding, who has banked more than $28,000 during his harness career.

Josh Marks, the track’s second-leading dash-winning driver in 2007, recorded three victories during Tuesday’s 11-race card to draw within three tallies of defending champ and current leader Howard Okusko Jr. (42-39). He started his sixth hat trick at the meet with the Ultra Racing Stable’s pacer Pan Au Chocolat (1:56.2) in the fourth race; continued it with Dyce and Elizabeth Spalluto’s pacer Whopper (1:54) in the 10th event, and concluded it behind Dean La Clair’s pacer One Nation (1:53.4) in the 11th test. 

Dan Daley started the evening off with a 1:55.3 victory behind the Artiscape-colt pacer Daley Deposit Only, who became the fastest 2 year old at the meet. The nine-length-plus triumph was the first in two career outings for the impressive youngster, who belongs to Ann-Mari Daley, Jared Daley, Richard Lombardo and Brian Earl Doolittle.

« Back