BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Saturday, July 9, 2016—Yonkers Raceway’s pair of Saturday night $45,000
co-featured Open Handicaps were annexed by Undercover Strike (Jason Bartlett, $6.80)
and a repeating Mach it So (Bartlett again, $15.40).
Undercover
Strike, caught three-wide early from assigned post position No. 6 in the weekly
marquee trot, nevertheless went the distance (:28, :57.4, 1:26.2, 1:55.3). He held off the cavalry by a half-length,
with E R Ellie (Jordan Stratton) a second-up second.
Third went to a skimming Red Hot Herbie (Dan
Dube), with 9-5 choice Lady’s Dude (George Brennan) and Summers Windsong (Mark
MacDonald) settling for the remainder. The quintet of cashers were separated by
just a length-and-a-half at the wire.
For
second choice Undercover Strike, an 8-year-old Striking Sahbra gelding owned by
Gerard Stuchbury and trained by Tom Milici, it was his eighth win in a dozen
seasonal starts. The exacta paid $43.40, with the triple returning $232.50.
The
week’s featured pace saw Mach it So overcome an eight-hole with an adroit,
ground-saving trip. Slight 2-1 choice Scott Rocks (Eric Abbatiello) and
pole-sitting Dream Out Loud N (Tyler Buter) were in play early (:27, :56) before a jammed-in
Somewhere in LA (Brennan) moved from third.
That
one offered nothing first-over going toward the 1:23.4 three-quarters, helping
no one in the outer tier. Meanwhile, Mach it So was improved along the cones
down the backside.
Scott
Rocks owned a length lead into the lane, then saw Dream Out Loud N eschew the
passing lane to angle out. That cleared the field for Mach it So, who
zipped up the cones to win by a length in 1:52.
Long
Live Rock (Dube) was a wide second in good effort, photoing Doctor Butch (Brent
Holland). Dream Out Loud N could no better than fourth off the two-hole trip,
with Scott Rocks fading to fifth.
For
fourth choice Mach it So, a 6-year-old Mach Three gelding owned by Bamond
Racing and trained by Jeffrey Bamond Jr., he’s now 6-for-13 this season. The
exacta paid $132, the triple returned $1,634 and the superfecta paid $7,875.
