Vernon: Super Chapter leads winners in Empire Breeders Classics

Super Chapter became the fastest 3-year-old trotter in the sport so far in 2025 with a 1:50 4/5 win in a $87,250 Empire Breeders Classic (EBC) division for colts and geldings on Friday afternoon at Vernon Downs.

With Scott Zeron in the bike, Super Chapter cut fractions of 26 4/5, 56 1/5 and 1:24 3/5, then closed in 26 1/5 to win by a length and three-quarters. Maryland (Dexter Dunn), the defending Dan Patch Award winner for the group, went first-over out of fourth before three-quarters and finished well to grab the runner-up spot and Hard Seven (Todd McCarthy) couldn't mount a bid from the pocket and had to settle for third.

It was a sweep of the exacta for trainer Marcus Melander, as he sent out both Super Chapter and Maryland. Super Chapter, a Hanover Shoe Farms-bred, is owned by Jeff Snyder and Art Pronti, now has seven wins, three seconds and a third from 13 starts and has earned $594,435. He paid $2.80 to win as the 2-5 favorite.

Trainer John Butenschoen won the other $88,500 colt and gelding split with Chat Room and an $87,750 filly flight with Pink Bomb. Chat Room, driven by Tyler Buter, rallied out of the pocket in the stretch to score by a length and a quarter in 1:52 3/5, while Pink Bomb (Dexter Dunn) moved from the pocket to the point before the 57 2/5 half and held sway from there to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:54 1/5.

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A Chapter Seven gelding, Chat Room was bred by Marvin Katz, Sam Goldband and Al Libfeld and is owned by James Crawford IV, Charles Rowe, David J. Miller and Lawrence Means. He has a summary of 5-2-3 from 13 efforts, has pocketed $208,860 and returned $27.80 to win as a 12-1 shot.

Pink Bomb, a daughter of Chapter Seven, was bred by Crawford Farms and is co-owned by them with Heather Marshall. Pink Bomb made her fifth trip to the winner's circle in seven trips behind the gate, has put away $123,025 and paid $8.70 to win.

Dunn also wound up with a double after he guided EL Nightwish to a first-over victory in the other $88,500 test for the fillies, defeating pace-setter and favorite Seventh Gen (Jeff Gregory) by three lengths in a 1:52 4/5 mile.

Emp Invest Oy of Finland bred and own EL Nightwish, a Chapter Seven filly. She won for the fourth time in five appearances, has banked $75,600 and returned $6.70 to win.

Additionally, there were two $59,100 New York Sire Stakes contests for 3-year-old male pacers on the program that went to American Son (by American Ideal, bred by Brittany Farms, paid $2.30 to win) in 1:50 for Dunn, trainer Chris Ryder and owner Henderson Farms and Courts On Fire (by Courtly Choice, bred by Winbak Farm, paid $4.30 to win) in 1:50 for co-owner/trainer Blake Macintosh and co-owners Hutt Racing Stable, Tim Klemencic and Daniel Plouffe.