‘UNDERCOVER’, THE REAL ONE WIN SATURDAY 45G CO-FEATURES

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Saturday, August 6, 2016—Undercover Strike (Jason Bartlett, $9.40) and The Real One (Pat Lachance, $14.20) did their mischief from off-the-pace Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s pair of $45,000 co-features.

Undercover Strike, starting behind the eight-ball in the Open Handicap Trot, was able to get away fifth. Lady’s Dude (George Brennan), as the 6-5 choice, wasn’t going all that much (:28, :57.4) before E R Ellie (Jordan Stratton) moved from fourth down the backside. In fact, ‘Ellie’ pulled a tad late, forcing Undercover Strike to go wide toward the 1:26.3 three-quarters.

Lady’s Dude, meanwhile, wasn’t helped by the cheapo fractions, caving off the final turn. First, E R Ellie went by, then Undercover Strike went by, the latter whipping the former by three-quarters of a length in 1:55.1.

Red Hot Herbie (Dan Dube), Money Maven (Tyler Buter) and Tober (Brent Holland) rounded out the payees, while Lady’s Dude faded to sixth.     

For second choice Undercover Strike, an 8-year-old Striking Sahbra gelding owned by Gerard Stuchbury and trained by Tom Milici, it was his 10^th win in 16 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $40.40,  with the triple returning $143.50.

The week’s featured pace, blindly drawn, saw The Real One, from post No. 4, work from second-over. Pole-sitting Mach it So (Bartlett), the 9-10 fave, quarter-moved to lead after a :27.2 opening subsection.

The people’s preference found a :56.2 intermission before Artistic Major (Holland) was out from fourth. That gave The Real One the necessary hitchhike in and out of the 1:24.1 three-quarters.

Mach it So had a length-and-half in and out of the final turn, but he was done. The Real One closed widest and fastest, defeating a pocketed Luck Be Withyou (Eric Goodell) by a neck in 1:51.3.

Artistic Major held third, with Cooperstown (Dube) and Mach it So settling for the small change.

For fourth choice The Real One, a 6-year-old Mach Three gelding trained by his driver for owner Helene Filion, he’s now 4-for-17 this season. The exacta paid $68, with the triple returning $245.50.