Vernon, NY --- Three $35,975 divisions of the New York Sires Stakes for freshman colt pacers highlight the Saturday night (Aug. 31) card at Vernon Downs.
The headliner throughout the season has been the wickedly fast He's Watching. The American Ideal-Baberhood colt is unbeaten thus far in four outings and is the fastest 2-year-old ever on a five-eighths-mile track by virtue of his crushing 1:50 NYSS win at Tioga Downs in early August. As fast as track superintendent Tony Rossi has had the Vernon surface this summer, the five-year-old track record of 1:51 -- held by Schoolkids -- may well be in jeopardy.
He's Watching will have a new driver, Jeff Gregory, for this one. The colt is trained and owned by Dave Menary with partners Brad Gray and Michael Guerriero. He starts from post two in the first division, which will be race three on the card.
Forty Five Red is likely the best colt from the first crop of If I Can Dream with three wins from six starts including the Sheppard final and nearly $133,000 earned for Burke Racing and Our Horse Cents Stable. Vernon's leading driver Rick Plano has the assignment from post eight.
Design Guru actually went a tick faster than He's Watching in the Yonkers leg, tacking a :27.3 final quarter onto his 1:54.1 personal record. He has also drawn the outside eight post with Jonathan Drury in for the drive. Casie Coleman trains the Artiscape-Looknforagirllikeu gelding for Jeff Snyder.
Three division of Excelsior stakes for the same group are on the supporting card.
First post at Vernon is 6:45 p.m. More info is available on the Vernon website.