Vernon: New York Sire Stakes victories to No Clouds Bluechip, Dime A Dance

The undercard features on Zweig night at Vernon Downs were a pair of $60,200 New York Sire Stakes splits for 3-year-old pacing fillies, and the winners were No Clouds Bluechip and Dime A Dance.

The big favorite in the first division was Penpal, who was moving into sire stakes company for the first time this year fresh off a second-place finish in the Mistletoe Shalee on Meadowlands Pace night. Trainer-driver Pat Lachance moved her from fourth to first, around No Clouds Bluechip (Scott Zeron), past the 56 3/5 half, and Penpal would go on to get to three-quarters in 1:24 4/5. However, No Clouds Bluechip came back to the outside of the 1-2 choice in the lane, and she wore the leader down inside the final eighth to prevail by half a length in 1:51 3/5. American Ivy (Andy Miller) finished third.

No Clouds Bluechip is a daughter of Roll With Joe trained by John Berger for owners Barbara Berger, Richard Carney, and Farrell Carney. She scored her fifth win from 18 career starts, and she has now earned $220,175. Sent off at 5-1, No Clouds Bluechip returned $13.20.

Dime A Dance (Matt Kakaley), last year's sire stakes champion for this group, had just one win in four starts against her state-sired rivals so far this season coming into tonight, but she made a first-over charge into the lead in the lane and held off Angels Rockn Pink (Mark MacDonald) to take the other section by a neck in 1:53 3/5. Right Stuff (Tim Tetrick) followed the eventual winner's cover and came in third.

Ron Burke trains Dime A Dance, another Roll With Joe filly, for owners Our Horse Cents Stables, Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc., and J&T Silva Stables, LLC. She won for the seventh time from 19 lifetime attempts, and she pushed her bankroll to $344,356. The 6-5 favorite, Dime A Dance paid $4.50.