BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, April 23,
2016—
The 29th Levy, again honoring
the memory of the Harness Hall of Fame founder of Roosevelt Raceway, served as
both the richest race in the history of the event and richest race of the
season to date.
Bit of a Legend N, after winning all five
of his series prelims (including a track-record dead-heat [with Wiggle It
Jiggleit] a week ago), drew post position No. 2 in the final. He was away third
early, behind pole-sitting Take it Back Terry (George Brennan) and that one’s
stablemate, All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley).
All Bets Off, from post No. 5, paid a
27-second price for the first lead. Stratton, wanting no part of a three-hole,
quickly moved Bit of a Legend N to the front, finding a :55.2
intermission.
“Terry” then
took out of third, trying his luck down the backside the second time, with P H
Supercam (Jason Bartlett) happily accepted that one’s tow. However, Take it
Back Terry never came that close to the “Legend,” who maintained an open lead
in and out of a 1:23.1 three-quarters.
The advantage
was a length-and-a-half entering the lane, and Bit of Legend N was about to
close the sale. All Bets Off ducked in but never threatened as the people’s
preference won by a length in a life-best 1:51. Hr also become the first Down
Under winner of this event.
Texican N
(Yannick Gingras), stable buddy of the winner, rallied quite nice for third,
with P H Supercam and “Terry” earning the minor moolah. Texas Terror N (Brett
Miller), Lucan Hanover (Brian Sears) and Mach it So (Tim Tetrick) rounded out
the order.
The final time
of 1:51 also matched Maltese Artist’s (Greg Grismore) stakes record set in
2007, when the series returned after an 11-year hiatus.
For Bit of a
Legend N, a 7-year-old son of Bettor’s Delight owned by Harry von Knoblauch and
trained by Peter Tritton, it was his eighth win in 10 seasonal starts. The
exacta paid $4.60, with no triple wagering offered to the limited number (five)
of wagering interests.
For
Stratton, it was the biggest win of his career.
“He’s perfect
for Yonkers, a small horse who gets around this track great.
“Anything can
happen when you go for this money,” Stratton said. “I let everything settle and
then went to the front. He’s been great through the series and I’m just
fortunate to be able to drive him.
“He’s the
best horse I’ve ever trained and Jordan’s taken good care of him,” his
Aussie-born trainer said, before giving a shout out to the owner “(Harry von
Knoblauch) is 90-years-old and he’s on a cruise with his daughter right
now. He said, ‘I wish I could get off this boat and be there.’ I told him he’d
feel a lot better when he got the check.”
What’s next?
“He gets some
time off, and then, since he’s not staked to very much, we’re hoping for
Invitationals at other half-miles (Western Fair, Harrington, and Northfield).
The $304,500
winner’s share upped Bit of a Legend N’s seasonal earnings to an industry-best
$451,250.
A $100,000 series consolation was won by
death-and-taxes Wiggle It Jiggleit (Montrell Teague, $2.10) in 1:51.
