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| Lucky Man winning the Open Handicap (Mike Lizzi Photo) |
In a field reduced to a half-dozen, half of those were on the line together.
Lucky Man, leaving from post position No. 4 (in one notch), was left to his own devices through fractions of :26.3 and :56.2. Nob Hill high (Dan Dube) was pocketed, with Tobago Cays (Cat Manzi) uncovered toward a 1:23.4 three-quarters.
Lucky Man owned a half-length lead entering the lane, those three was begin to close ranks nearing the 1:51.3 mile marker. It was a certified bang-bang finish, with Lucky Man--in between his foes--winning by a schnozz in 1:59.1 for the mile-and-one-sixtenth. Second went to Tobago Cays, with Nob Hill High a passing-lane third.
Southern Allie (Yannick Gingras) and Andy Roo (Tim Tetrick) completed the cashers, while Money Twitch A (Andy Miller) was outrun.
For Lucky Man, a 6-year-old Camluck gelding owned by Thomas Hill and trained by Casie Coleman, he returned $3.40 for his fifth win in 25 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $17.80, with the triple returning $50.50.
Yonkers' regular five-night-per-week schedule (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) remains in effect, with the 2011 racing season ending this Friday night, Dec. 23. The 2012 live season begins Friday night, Jan. 13, pending approval of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. First post for all racing programs is 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available around the NYRA schedule (note the Aqueduct Christmas break runs from Dec. 19-27, inclusive).
