For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Sunday, May 3, 2015

BEE A MAGICIAN, MICHAEL’S POWER WIN SATURDAY NIGHT 42G CO-FEATURES

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Saturday, May 2, 2015—Season-debuting Bee a Magician (Brian Sears, $9.20) and Michael’s Power (Dan Dube, $4.20) both went down the road Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $42,000 Open Handicaps.

Bee a Magician, 2013’s Harness Horse of the Year, showed no signs of a five-month hiatus and a pair of mundane qualifiers in the weekly trotting feature. In play from penultimate post position No. 56, she worked around Luminosity (George Brennan), then held sway through weight stations of :27.4, :57.1, 1:26.3 and 1:54.4.

That effort established a new track record for aged trotting mares.

Luminosity chased around the oval, but was beaten a head. It was more than lengths back to Tweet Me (Tyler Buter) in third, with Lorenzo Dream (Jason Bartlett) and Modest Prince (Steve Smith) completing the cashers. Not Afraid (Dube), first-up as the 7-5 favorite, was poor and backpedaled to last.

            For third choice Bee a Magician, a 5-year-old daughter of Kadabra trained by Nifty Norman for co-owners Melvin Hartman, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee, it was her 32nd win in 48 career starts ($2,756,270). The exacta paid $36.50, with the triple returning $206.50.

The week’s featured pace saw 11-10 choice Michael’s Power, from post No. 5, move past One Through Ten (Bartlett), then finish it off (:27.3, :56.3, 1:24.4, 1:52.1),  Second, beaten 2½ lengths, was a buried-alive The Real One (Pat Lachance), who skimmed the cones. One Though Ten, Duel in the Sun (Mark MacDonald) and Big N Bad (Sears) settled for the remainder.   

            For Michael’s Power, a 6-year-old homebred Camluck gelding bred/owned by Jeff Snyder and trained by Mark Silva, it was his fifth win in 12 ’15 tries. The exacta (two wagering favorites) paid $9.50, with the triple returning $66.50.
                                                                        
The Raceway’s live season continues Saturday night (post time 7:10 PM). After that, it’s Monday (7:10 PM),  a French-centric Tuesday (1 PM, first round of the Jackpot Next Door Claiming Series), then Thursday through Saturday (all at 7:10 PM). Note Sunday matinees are done until November. Evening simulcasting accompanies all night programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.