BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Saturday, October 1, 2016—A pocketed Wings of Royalty (Steve Smith, $17)
and a first-up Melmerby Beach (Dan Dube, $12.40) tickled the twine Saturday
night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s first-of-the-month $45,000 co-featured Open
Handicaps.
Wings
of Royalty worked out a cozy trip from the post position No. 3, nestled in
behind a four-wide-early Melady’s Monet (Jason Bartlett) in the week’s marquee
trot.
The
3-4 choice led through intervals of :27.1, :57.1 and 1:26,
hounded by Money Maven (Brent Holland) entering the lane. ‘Melady’ put away
that rival, but was beaten up the inside by a pair of others.
Wings of Royalty whipped E R Ellie
(Jordan Stratton) by a half-length in 1:55.1, with Melady’s Monet tiring to
third. Luminosity (George Brennan) and Money Maven rounded out the payees.
For fourth choice Wings of Royalty,
a 4-year-old son of RC Royalty owned by Ray Campbell Jr. and trained by George
Ducharme, it was his fifth win 14 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $143.50,
with the triple returning $512.
As for Melmerby Beach, he moved
from fourth in the weekly pacing feature. He moved to challenge Winds of Change
(Holland), who had quarter-moved around Lucan Hanover (Eric Goodell).
The leader (:27.2, :56.3, 1:24.1)
was dueled into submission in and out of the final turn, with Melmerby Beach
taking over and holding sway. He defeated a second-up, slight 2-1 fave Polak A
(Joe Bongiorno) by three-quarter of a length.
Dream Out Loud N (Tyler Buter) was
a ground-saving third, with Mach it So (Bartlett) and Winds of Change settling
for the remainder. The cashers were separated by just a length-and-a-half,
while the entire octet was divided by just 3¼ lengths.
For fourth choice Melmerby Beach, a
5-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere owned and trained by Ettore Annunziata,
he’s now 5-for-32 this season. The exacta paid $100, the triple returned $400
and the superfecta paid $1,511.
In between the co-features, out
popped Americanprimtime (Stratton, $7.20), who beat up his rivals by seven
lengths in the $35,000 4-Year-Old Open Handicap Pace. The time of 1:50.1
matched the all-age track record (Crombie A, Forty Five Red, Limelight Beach
and Go Daddy Go).
The son of American Ideal is
trained by Rick Dane Jr. for Rock&Roll Stable.
