MORRISVILLE, NY—Morrisville State College’s horse racing programs notched another victory, this time with one of its Standardbreds, at the Vernon Downs harness racing track.
The July 6 race was a mark in both the driver’s and horse’s career.
Driver Cole Wimmer, of Camden, an instructional support assistant at MSC, raced Mr. Wiskers to the win, claiming his first career pari-mutuel driving victory. Wimmer is a 2006 graduate of the college’s equine racing management, Standardbred program.
“It was a lifetime mark for Mr. Wiskers,” said Keith Cluff of the three-year-old Bay Colt’s maiden race, his first for money, earning him $1,500 for his share of the purse.
Mr. Wiskers, owned by the Morrisville College Foundation, is trained by Cluff, director of the college’s Standardbred program with assistance from Krystal Koster, a junior in the college’s equine racing management, Standardbred program.
The colt, donated to the college last October, is one of two Standardbreds racing at Vernon Downs this summer. The second, Stirling Dusty, recently celebrated a second-place finish.
Wimmer was elated, giving credit for the win to Mr. Wiskers, who underwent surgery last fall to remove a bone chip from his hock and spent 60 days being rehabilitated at the college’s own equine rehabilitation center.
Mr. Wiskers shares a victory with Thoroughbreds, Hot Idea and Don’t Back Down, who raced to victory in June at the Finger Lakes Racetrack. Both of those Thoroughbreds are trained by Dr. Clyde Cranwell, associate professor and director of the college’s Thoroughbred program, with assistance from students in the college’s Thoroughbred program.
Morrisville State’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
In addition to being named to the 2014 President’s Higher Community Education Service Honor Roll, the college was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as an institution in the top tier of the Best Regional Colleges list and ranked second among regional colleges nationwide for outperforming its anticipated graduation rate.