BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, April 9,
2016—Yonkers Raceway’s Saturday night brought with it the fourth round of the
George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series.
Four, $50,000 divisions brought the series
further in focus, with the gazing especially glaring at both Wiggle It Jiggleit
and Bit of a Legend N.
Starting with the latter, even-money Bit
of a Legend N (Jordan Stratton, $4) extended his perfect preliminary resume,
easily winning the third division from the pocket in 1:51.2. Making the first
lead (:27.4) from post position No. 5 (in one notch after a scratch), Bit of a
Legend N yielded to Let’s Drink on It (Tim Tetrick).
That one then led the way (:55.2, 1:23.1), taking a length-and-a-half
lead into the lane. Unfortunately, something went awry with Let’s Drink on It,
who faded to last, but not before he carried Bit of a Legend N to the Promised
Land.
He won by a
length in 1:51.2, with a second-over Lettucerockthem A (Brian Sears) second and
Limelight Beach (Yannick Gingras) third.
Bit of a Legend N, a 7-year-old Down Under
son of Bettor’s Delight owned by Harry von Knoblauch and trained by Peter
Tritton, has won six of his eight North American starts. The exacta (two
wagering choices) paid $14.80, with the triple returned $54.
“You can race
him any way you want,” Stratton said. “Even though he’s won four races in this
series, he really hasn’t been used that hard.”
Asked what’s
impressed him about his steady date, Stratton offered that “he’s done all this
with me driving.”
As for Wiggle It Jiggleit (Montrell
Teague, $2.10), he earned the respect Rodney Dangerfield never could. Last
season’s Horse of the Year, making his second series start, won the draw in the
second division and his rivals dutifully demurred.
The result was a qualifier-esque first
half (:28, :56.3) and a :54.3 back
portion (1:24.1, 1:51.1). The final margin was 2¾ lengths over P H Supercam
(Jason Bartlett), who outgamed a pocket-sitting All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley).
Wiggle It
Jiggleit, a 4-year-old Mr. Wiggles gelding, is now 2-for-3 this season and
25-for-30 in his $2 million-plus career. George Teague Jr. and Teague Racing
Partnership co-own WIJI, trained by Clyde Francis. The exacta paid $16.20, with
the triple returning $27.60.
“It as if he
didn’t have the break after last season,” Montrell Teague Jr. said. “When I
looked over and saw everyone else take of the gate, I knew it was his race. I
just popped the plugs, never even had to ask him.”
Tetrick
bookended Saturday night’s other Levy groupings, the first with Ideal Cowboy
($11.20) in 1:52.1 and the finale with Mach it So ($3.40), also in 1:52.1.
