BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Saturday, November 12, 2016—Bit of a Legend N (Jordan Stratton, $13.80)
couldn’t possibly have had an eight-hole trip than he did Saturday night,
winning Yonkers Raceway’s $45,000 Open Handicap Pace.
In
play from behind the eight-ball, the Levy Series winner found a gaping
three-hole for a brief respite, then marching toward the lead.
He
made it around pole-sitting, 9-5 choice Rock N’ Roll World (George Brennan)
before a pokey 28-second opening quarter-mile.
Then
came a plodding, 29-second next station (57-second half), effectively ending
the suspense. First Class Horse (Jason Bartlett), gapping his rivals earlier,
moved first-up from fourth, but never threatened.
Bit
of a Legend N found a 1:25 three-quarters, taking a length-and-a-half lead into
the lane. He whipped Rock N’ Roll World by that same margin in 1:52.3, with
First Class Horse, a way-after-the-fact The Real One (Pat Lachance) and Santa
Fe Beachboy (Brent Holland) rounding out the payees.
For fourth choice Bit of a Legend N, a 7-year-old
Down Under son of Bettor’s Delight owned by Harry von Knoblauch and trained by
Peter Tritton, it was his 13th win in 27 seasonal starts ($718,450).
The exacta paid $42, the triple returned $197.50 and the superfecta paid $829.
Stratton’s four-win night moved him within nine
of 3,000 career victories
