BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, November 28,
2015—Odds-on favorite Ideal Cowboy (Jason Bartlett, $3.60) held off a
two-pronged challenge Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $40,000 Open
Handicap Pace.
Remanded outside his seven foes, Ideal
Cowboy had a reasonably-simple path to the lead. He worked around Texican N
(Eric Carlson) and Bigtown Hero (Dan Dube) just before a 27-second
opening quarter-mile.
From there, a
somnambulant :56.2 half before the leader upped the tempo. A 1:24.1
three-quarters with Aslan (Brian Sears) taking his shot first-ever and Ideal
Cowboy owning a length-and-a-half lead into the lane.
However, with
Bigtown Hero edging from the pocket and Texican N darting inside, Ideal Cowboy
needed some reminders. He did get the line when in time, a 1:52.1 nose in front
of Bigtown Hero and a head ahead of Texican N.
Aslan and The Real
One (Pat Lachance) completed the cashers.
For Ideal
Cowboy, a 4-year-old American Ideal gelding trained by Jeffrey Bamond Jr. for
co-owners Bamond Racing and J&T Silva Stables, it was his ninth win in 24
seasonal tries. The exacta paid $17.60, the triple paid $160.50 and the
superfecta paid $530.
