BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, April 1,
2017—Horses aren’t supposed to win races from where Missile J was situated
Saturday night. He didn’t get that memo.
Missile J (Tim Tetrick, $2.70) unleashed a
filthy stretch move, winning his third race in as many tries during Yonkers
Raceway’s George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series.
Round 3 featured another quartet of
$50,000 divisions, with Missile J completing his own personal three-peat. After
fifth from post position No. 4 the second event, the cause appeared hopeless.
Sitting third-over in a stagnant outer tier, Missile J was sixth—3¾ length
behind Great Vintage (Mark MacDonald)—after that pole-sitter led through
intervals of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:24.
Missile J
couldn’t be bothered with such impediments. He not only won, he measured it
off, the final margin over Great Vintage a head in 1:51.3. Third went to Clear
Vision (Brett Miller), with Dr. J. Hanover (Scott Zeron) and Santa Fe Beachboy
(Jason Bartlett) relegated to the remainder.
For Missile
J, a 4-year-old American Ideal gelding trained by Scott DiDomenico (big props
for 1,000 career training victories) for Hoosierland co-owners John McGill and
Brian Carsey, it was his seventh win in eight seasonal starts. The exacta paid
$10.80, with the triple returning $50.50.
“He wants to
chase horses,” Tetrick said. “Winning three races from the off the pace the way
he has is a plus in a grueling series like the Levy.”
Defending
series champ Bit of a Legend N (Jordan Stratton, $4.90) did get off the
seasonal and series schneid, using a solid, two-move effort in the evening’s
final Levy event. An early fourth from post No. 6, he watched as polester
Guantanamo Bay (Scott Zeron) offered some rare early foot (:28.2, :57.3,
1:25.3).
Despite those
rather comfy fractions, Guantanamo Bay was powerless to stave off Bit of a
Legend N. The people’s choice took over early in the lane, then edged away by a
length in 1:52.4. Second went to an improved McWicked (Matt Kakaley), with
Always at My Place (Yannick Gingras), a tiring Guantanamo Bay and Blood Brother
(Bartlett) settling for the minors.
For Bit of a
Legend N, an 8-year-old Down Under son of Bettor’s Delight trained by Peter
Tritton for owner Harry von Knoblauch, it was his first win in five seasonal
starts. The exacta paid $31.40, with the triple returning $117.
“Tonight was
the first time this season he resembled his old self,” Stratton said. “Scoring
down, he wanted to kick me out of the bike. He had a lot left at the wire.”
Saturday night’s first Levy grouping had
Soto (Kakaley, $10) work out his third pocket trip in the series and earn his
second series win. From post No. 2, he conveniently slid in behind 19-10 choice
Somewhere in L A (Bartlett). That job was made easier when Bettor’s Edge
(Miller) and his inside speed broke early and vacated the course.
Somewhere in L A laid down the law (:26.3, :55.4, 1:23.4) while being pestered
by a second move of Rockin’ Ron (Gingras). ‘L A’ owned a length lead in and out
of the final turn, and held well, but not well enough.
Soto stuck
his tongue out on the money, getting the decision in 1:51.4. Wakizashi Hanover
(Stratton) closed for third, beaten a neck, with Rockin’ Ron and Mach it So
(Tetrick) earning small coinage.
For third
choice Soto, a 5-year-old son of Rock N Roll Heaven trained by Eric Ell for
co-owners Kenneth Wood, William Dittmar Jr. and Stephen Iaquinta, it was his
sixth win in 11 ’17 starts. The exacta paid $29.20, with the triple returning
$121.50.
As was the
case with Soto, Keystone Velocity (Dan Dube, $3.10) grabbed his second series
win.
Pocketed from
the pole in the third event, he was both lucky and good, getting the passing
lane after Caviart Luca (George Brennan) tired (:27, :55.1, 1:23.1).
P H Supercam
(Miller) cleared first-up, with Provocativeprincen (Stratton) slipping out from
behind Keystone Velocity to grab third tow. Provocativeprincen made his had
‘first run,’ but Keystone Velocity was raging. He zipped up the cones, whipping
the ‘Prince’ by a half-length in 1:51.3.
P H Supercam,
Caviart Luca and Texas Terror N (Mark MacDonald) rounded out he payees.
For Keystone
Velocity, a 9-year-old son of Western Hanover co-owned (as Allard Racing) by
trainer Rene Allard, Kapildeo Singh, Earl Hill Jr and VIP Internet Stable, it
was his second win in four seasonal starts. The exacta paid $13.20, with the
triple returning $48.80.
Saturday
night’s $55,00 Open Trot was won by Lady’s Dude (Brennan, $3.80) in 1:55 for a
second consecutive featured-trot win.
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