Vernon: Sebastian K, Father Patrick dominate on Friday

Sebastian K breezed to the easiest kind of victory capturing the $236,000 Crawford Farms Open Trot in a sensible 1:53 mile at Vernon Downs on Friday night.

Sebastian K darted to the front at the start and never looked back. Driver Ake Svanstedt was able to set very reasonable fractions of :28 1/5, :57 3/5 and 1:26 3/5 with very little pressure. Archangel and driver Yannick Gingras stalked the winner throughout and earned the place spot with Market Share racing uncovered through the second half and holding for third ahead of Bee A Magician.

Sebastian K paid $2.30 to win and won by two lengths. He has won eight of nine starts this year.

“It was a great race,” said Bernie Noren, assistant trainer to Ake Svanstedt following the win. “It was an easy race for him tonight.”

Noren confirmed that Sebastian K will race next at Hoosier Park on September 20 before heading to Lexington.

[DRF HARNESS: Sign Up for the FREE newly designed DRF Harness Newsletter!]

Father Patrick and Gingras rebounded from two straight defeats with a dominant performance in the $340,000 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial for three-year-old trotting colts. The son of Cantab Hall supplanted stablemate Nuncio before the :25 4/5 opening quarter then rated the pace kindly as the field stayed in line.

Nuncio pulled to challenge the winner before the three quarters but was quickly shaken off with Father Patrick striding out to a 1:52 2/5 victory, his seventh of the season.

Trained by Jimmy Takter, Father Patrick led Nuncio home with Flyhawk El Durado finishing third.

“I could tell in the post parade he was his old self,” said Gingras about Father Patrick in his post-race interview. “When Nuncio popped the deuce my horse latched on. I was really confident.”

Father Patrick paid $2.10 to win as part of an entry with Nuncio.

Takter completed the Zweig sweep with Shake It Cerry ($2.40) capturing the $150,000 filly division for driver Ron Pierce. Shake It Cerry rallied from the pocket in the stretch scoring in 1:53 4/5 over Heavens Door and Bikini So Teeny.