Friday is one of the best harness racing nights of the fall. Vernon Downs in upstate New York stages the Big Apple Finals, four $250,000 races for New York bred two year olds. Out in Indiana, Harrah’s Hoosier Park runs Hoosier Champions Night, with eight $250,000 Indiana Sire Stakes Super Finals and four more state championships on the same card.
That’s 12 championship races between the two tracks, all on one evening. Here’s what’s running, who to watch and how we’re playing it.
Friday’s Harness Racing at a Glance
Vernon Downs has a 5:05pm ET first post. Hoosier Park, which sits in Anderson, Indiana, on Eastern time, follows at 5:30pm ET. The two cards overlap for most of the evening, so you can switch between New York and Indiana all night.
| Track | Event | Championship Races | Purses | First Post (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Downs, Vernon, NY | Big Apple Finals (New York bred two year olds) | 4 finals | $250,000 each, $1 million total | 5:05pm |
| Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson, IN | Hoosier Champions Night (Indiana Sire Stakes) | 8 Super Finals plus 4 older horse finals | $250,000 each Super Final, $75,000 each older horse final, $2.3 million total | 5:30pm |
Vernon Downs: Big Apple Finals for New York Bred Freshmen
Vernon Downs opened in 1953 on the old Vernon fairgrounds near Syracuse, and Jeff Gural’s American Racing and Entertainment runs it today. The Big Apple series is its big fall event for two year olds bred in New York, with $1 million in purses across the four finals.
The eliminations ran last Friday, October 2, in eight divisions. The top four in each elimination made the final, and one fifth place finisher per final gets in by draw. That gives each final a field of up to nine.
Jason Bartlett is the driver to follow. He won four of the eight eliminations, including both colt pacing divisions, and he has a live chance in all four finals.
| Division | Elimination Winners (Driver, Trainer, Time) | Other Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|
| Trotting fillies | Kountry Plunge (Brian Sears, Åke Svanstedt, 1:54.1, unbeaten in six); Jula Florence (Tyler Miller, Julie Miller, 1:55.1) | Anabella, Moonlight Kiss, Hl Kapara, Wavy Xavie, Secret Lover, Seven Thirds |
| Pacing fillies | Cowboy Candy (Jason Bartlett, Aaron Lambert, 1:51.3); Carly Shay (Brett Beckwith, Megan Scran, 1:51.2) | Huntsville Honey, Prop Bet, Real Choice, Annie O, Shadow Of A Girl, Phast Phyllis |
| Trotting colts and geldings | Ocean Storm (Brett Beckwith, Cam Capone, 1:53); Gio’s Hope (Jason Bartlett, Marcus Melander, 1:54) | Bailey J, Betelgeusebluechip, T Money, Archon, Uncle Rob, Telling Tall Tales |
| Pacing colts and geldings | Global Choice (Jason Bartlett, Garry Merner Jr., 1:50.3); Rose Run Cowboy (Jason Bartlett, Ron Burke, 1:52.3) | Clear Deal, Maries Jet, Primacy Station, Its News To Me, Rowdy Station, My Body Guard |
Trotting Fillies: Can Anyone Beat Kountry Plunge?
Kountry Plunge goes into the final unbeaten in six starts. Åke Svanstedt’s daughter of Chapter Seven won her elimination in 1:54.1, about a fifth of a second off the track record, and nothing in this age group has beaten her yet. Brian Sears has driven her through the season.
Julie Miller’s Jula Florence won the other elimination in a career best 1:55.1, also by Chapter Seven, but she was a full second slower than Kountry Plunge on the same night. Wavy Xavie for Jeff Gregory and Secret Lover with Bartlett are the others to use underneath.
| Post | Horse | Elimination Result | Elimination Driver | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Kountry Plunge | Won Div 2, 1:54.1 | Brian Sears | Åke Svanstedt | TBC |
| TBC | Jula Florence | Won Div 1, 1:55.1 | Tyler Miller | Julie Miller | TBC |
| TBC | Anabella | Qualified Div 1 | Brett Beckwith | Nancy Takter | TBC |
| TBC | Moonlight Kiss | Qualified Div 1 | Corey Callahan | TBC | TBC |
| TBC | Hl Kapara | Qualified Div 1 | Jason Bartlett | TBC | TBC |
| TBC | Wavy Xavie | Qualified Div 2 | Jeff Gregory | Jeff Gregory | TBC |
| TBC | Secret Lover | Qualified Div 2 | Jason Bartlett | Marcus Melander | TBC |
| TBC | Seven Thirds | Qualified Div 2 | Matt Kakaley | Lucas Wallin | TBC |
| TBC | Fifth place qualifier (drawn by lot) | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Pacing Fillies: Cowboy Candy Sets the Standard
Cowboy Candy brings the best record in the race, seven wins from nine starts. Aaron Lambert’s So Surreal filly won her elimination by 3½ lengths in a lifetime best 1:51.3 with Bartlett in the bike.
Carly Shay won the first division in 1:51.2, slightly quicker, but she did it gate to wire for her first career win. We want to see her do it again before we trust her over Cowboy Candy.
| Post | Horse | Elimination Result | Elimination Driver | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Cowboy Candy | Won Div 2, 1:51.3 | Jason Bartlett | Aaron Lambert | TBC |
| TBC | Carly Shay | Won Div 1, 1:51.2 | Brett Beckwith | Megan Scran | TBC |
| TBC | Huntsvilles Honey | Qualified Div 1 | Tyler Buter | George Ducharme | TBC |
| TBC | Prop Bet | Qualified Div 1 | Matt Kakaley | Travis Alexander | TBC |
| TBC | Real Choice | Qualified Div 1 | Jason Bartlett | TBC | TBC |
| TBC | Annie O | Qualified Div 2 | Jeff Gregory | Andrew Stafford | TBC |
| TBC | Shadow Of A Girl | Qualified Div 2 | Matt Kakaley | Anette Lorentzon | TBC |
| TBC | Phast Phyllis | Qualified Div 2 | Braxten Boyd | Cam Capone | TBC |
| TBC | Fifth place qualifier (drawn by lot) | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Trotting Colts and Geldings: Ocean Storm or Gio’s Hope
Ocean Storm made the biggest statement of the week, leading all the way and winning his elimination by 5½ lengths in 1:53 for trainer Cam Capone and driver Brett Beckwith. That was the fastest of the two colt trot eliminations by a full second.
Marcus Melander’s Gio’s Hope answered in the other division with a lifetime best 1:54 for Bartlett. Melander trained Hambletonian winner Apex this year, and his freshmen tend to improve through the fall. Uncle Rob and Archon also qualified from that division.
| Post | Horse | Elimination Result | Elimination Driver | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Ocean Storm | Won Div 1, 1:53 | Brett Beckwith | Cam Capone | TBC |
| TBC | Gios Hope | Won Div 2, 1:54 | Jason Bartlett | Marcus Melander | TBC |
| TBC | Bailey J | Qualified Div 1 | Jason Bartlett | Noel Daley | TBC |
| TBC | Betelgeusebluechip | Qualified Div 1 | Tyler Buter | Rob Harmon | TBC |
| TBC | T Money | Qualified Div 1 | Braxten Boyd | Dan Daley | TBC |
| TBC | Archon | Qualified Div 2 | Jordan Stratton | Dan Daley | TBC |
| TBC | Uncle Rob | Qualified Div 2 | Tyler Miller | Julie Miller | TBC |
| TBC | Telling Tall Tales | Qualified Div 2 | Tyler Buter | Rob Harmon | TBC |
| TBC | Fifth place qualifier (drawn by lot) | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Pacing Colts and Geldings: Bartlett’s Big Choice
Bartlett won both colt pacing eliminations, so he has a decision to make. Global Choice won the second division in 1:50.3, the fastest time of the night, for trainer Garry Merner Jr. Rose Run Cowboy took the first in 1:52.3 for Ron Burke after taking over at the half.
Watch which colt Bartlett picks when the program comes out. Whichever one he leaves will have a new driver.
| Post | Horse | Elimination Result | Elimination Driver | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Global Choice | Won Div 2, 1:50.3 | Jason Bartlett | Garry Merner Jr. | TBC |
| TBC | Rose Run Cowboy | Won Div 1, 1:52.3 | Jason Bartlett | Ron Burke | TBC |
| TBC | Clear Deal | Qualified Div 1 | Aaron Byron | TBC | TBC |
| TBC | Maries Jet | Qualified Div 1 | Braxten Boyd | Aaron Lambert | TBC |
| TBC | Primacy Station | Qualified Div 1 | Matt Kakaley | Travis Alexander | TBC |
| TBC | Its News To Me | Qualified Div 2 | Leon Bailey | Chuck Connor Jr. | TBC |
| TBC | Rowdy Station | Qualified Div 2 | Brett Beckwith | TBC | TBC |
| TBC | My Body Guard | Qualified Div 2 | Matt Kakaley | Travis Alexander | TBC |
| TBC | Fifth place qualifier (drawn by lot) | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Hoosier Champions Night: The Indiana Sire Stakes Super Finals
Harrah’s Hoosier Park is a seven eighths of a mile oval in Anderson, about 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis, and it has a big future. The Hambletonian, the most famous race in harness racing, moves there from the Meadowlands for 2027 through 2029.
Hoosier Champions Night is Indiana’s version of championship night. The Indiana Sire Stakes series runs all summer, and Friday’s eight Super Finals crown the best Indiana sired two and three year olds in each of the four divisions: pacing colts, pacing fillies, trotting colts and trotting fillies. Each final is worth $250,000. Four $75,000 finals for older horses fill out the championship races, which puts $2.3 million on the line.
| Championship | Ages | Purse | One to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Final, pacing colts and geldings | Two year olds | $250,000 | Mr Bear (Erv Miller), post 6, Race 7 |
| Super Final, pacing fillies | Two year olds | $250,000 | Field TBC |
| Super Final, trotting colts and geldings | Two year olds | $250,000 | Field TBC |
| Super Final, trotting fillies | Two year olds | $250,000 | Field TBC; Redice (Erv Miller) won an August leg |
| Super Final, pacing colts and geldings | Three year olds | $250,000 | Field TBC; Swiss Lights (Jeff Cullipher) won the seventh leg |
| Super Final, pacing fillies | Three year olds | $250,000 | Field TBC |
| Super Final, trotting colts and geldings | Three year olds | $250,000 | Field TBC |
| Super Final, trotting fillies | Three year olds | $250,000 | Field TBC |
| Older horse finals (pacing horses, pacing mares, trotting horses, trotting mares) | Four and up | $75,000 each | Fields TBC |
Mr Bear Heads the Freshman Pacing Colts
Erv Miller’s Mr Bear is the horse to beat on the whole card. The son of Grey Rockin Image has won eight of his nine starts this season, with a best of 1:50.3, and he goes from post 6 in the 10 horse two year old colt pacing Super Final.
The interesting outsider in the same race is Freaky Lover. Zach Miller trains him and Anthony Miller drives, and they own him with Ed Dobrowolski. Freaky Lover won the last preliminary leg on October 1 in 1:53.3, beating the favored Capt Peach, and that jumped him from 15th to seventh in the series points. He draws post 2.
The Rest of the Super Finals
Erv Miller has a strong hand across the Indiana program. Redice, his Rebuff filly, won her August leg of the two year old filly trot by four lengths at 1/9, which made it four wins from six starts. In the three year old colt pace, Jeff Cullipher’s Swiss Lights won the seventh leg in 1:49.4 with Trace Tetrick and had earned more than $280,000 this season by late August.
Post positions for the other Super Finals hadn’t been published by our deadline, so check the app or the program for the full fields before you bet.
How We’re Playing Friday Night
At Vernon, Kountry Plunge is our best bet in the filly trot. She’s unbeaten and ran a full second faster than the other elimination winner last week. In the colt pace, Global Choice gets our vote off the fastest elimination time of the night. In the filly pace, we side with Cowboy Candy over Carly Shay, and in the colt trot we’ll take Ocean Storm with Gio’s Hope as the danger.
At Hoosier, Mr Bear looks the single for any multi race ticket that covers the two year old colt pace, which goes as Race 7. He’ll be a short price, so the value is in using him as a single and spreading in the other legs. Freaky Lover from post 2 is the one to use underneath in the exotics.
Morning lines for both cards will be in the MyWinners app once the tracks publish them. Check them, and any scratches, before you build tickets.
Bet Vernon Downs and Hoosier Park With MyWinners
Twelve championship races, two tracks and one Friday night. From Kountry Plunge’s unbeaten run at Vernon to Mr Bear’s bid at Hoosier, this is the deepest harness card of the week, and you can bet both tracks with us.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
