BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Friday, October 7, 2016—Favored Devil Child (Eric Goodell, $6.30) was
gifted an early pocket and then held off the cavalry Friday night, winning
Yonkers Raceway’s $45,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
In
play from post position No. 5, she and her inside foe, Sell a Bit N (Jordan
Stratton) both had designs on the lead. The latter made it before a :27.1
opening quarter-mile as Devil Child found a wide berth in front of Rock N Roll
Xample (Dan Dube).
A
cheapy :56.2 half should have played the leader, but why give away the ending
here? Secret’s Out N (Tyler Buter) offered just token, first-up abuse in and
out of a 1:24.4 three-quarters, with Sell a Bit N owning a length lead into the
lane.
However,
the leading lass wasn’t up to it here, tiring noticeably…but not until she
carried Devil Child where she needed to go. Devil Child ducked inside and was
able to get the jump on her belated foes.
She
whipped a flying-from-last Mach it a Par (Jason Bartlett) by a
length-and-a-quarter in 1:52.4, with Regil Elektra (Joe Bongiorno) a
late-arriving third. Tessa Seelster (George Brennan) and Rock N Roll
Xample rounded out the payees, the five cashers separated by just a
length-and-three-quarters at the wire.
For Devil Child, a 4-year-old statebred daughter
of American Ideal co-owned by Susan Oakes & Crawford Farms Racing and
trained by Chris Oakes, it was her sixth win in 18 seasonal starts. The exacta
(two wagering choices) paid $40.40, with the triple returning $324.
