BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Friday, July 15, 2016—Jason Bartlett won five races Friday night, included
both halves of Yonkers Raceway equally-divided $167,874 New York Sire Stakes
Art Watson Pace for 3-year-old fillies.
A
first-up Soft Idea ($24.40) just held sway in the opening $83,937 division.
Grabbing
an three-hole from post position No. 5, she watched 31-1 proposition Angels
Rockn Pink (Mark MacDonald) throw down early intervals of
:28.2 and
:57. Mother of Art (Joe Bongiorno), part of a three-headed, 1-20, Ron
Burke-trained entry, was away second but decided not to take over from the
longshot.
That
left Soft Idea a clear path to try it, which she did in and out of a 1:25.3
three-quarters. That one opened 2½ lengths entering the lane and looked to
coast.
However,
a resurgent “Pink” made up a ton ground late, only miss a neck in 1:54.3. Dime
a Dance (Matt Kakaley), trying to salvage some semblance of dignity for the
failed entry, was third. Her partners, an eight-ball Art Critic (George
Brennan) and a backpedaling Mother of Art, finished seventh and eighth,
respectively.
For third choice Soft Idea, an American Ideal filly trained by Linda Toscano
for co-owning stable South Mountain, Bay’s, Radio Racing and Little E, it was
her second win in six seasonal starts. The exacta paid $301.50, with the triple
returning $573.
"First-time Lasix and racing her off the helmet
made the difference,” Bartlett said. “We’re trying to get her back to the way
she was last season. This was the first step.”
As
for odds-on Time on My Hands ($3.50), she took it the distance (:28.1, :57.3,
1:26, 1:54.3) from post No. 4 in the second division.
Opening
to 3½ lengths in and out of the final turn, she whipped a closing No Clouds
Bluechip (Brian Sears) by three-quarters of a length. American Ivy (Andy
Miller) couldn’t sustain her second move and faded to third.
For
Time on My Hands, an American Ideal miss trained by Chris Ryder for co-owners
Robert Mondillo, Michael Robinson, Steve Cheatham and BFJ Stable, she’s now
4-for-7 this season. The exacta paid $74, with the triple returning $206.50.
As
was the case with Soft Idea, this winner was also racing with fresh Lasix,
though she had qualified with it.
“The medication helped,
and I wanted to give her a safe trip, and it worked out,” Bartlett said.
Friday
night’s $45,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace was won by a cone-skimming
Secrets Out N (Bartlett, $33.40) in a life-best 1:52.3.
Stakes action continues Saturday night with the
$100,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard (2-year-old colts/geldings).
