BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, June 17, 2017—Turns
out this season’s model was a tad faster than last season’s model.
A third-over Keystone Velocity (Dan Dube,
$14.20) rolled over a second-up, 9-10 fave Bit of a Legend N (Jordan Stratton)
Friday night (June 17th), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $55,000 Open
Handicap Pace.
From post position No. 6, it was Keystone
Velocity, the 2017 George Morton Levy Series champ, working out a trip right
behind the ’16 Levy winner, Bit of a Legend N.
Both had their sights set on Western Fame
(Mark MacDonald) after that one threw down a rather swift gauntlet (:26.3, :55.4, 1:23.4).
Western Fame held a short lead in and out
of the final turn, only to get passed by the potent pair. Widest and fastest,
Keystone Velocity outgamed Bit of a Legend N by a half-length in 1:52, the
highlight of Dube’s four-win night. Western Fame held third, with a from-last
Mach it So (Brent Holland) and Artful Way (Greg Merton) rounding out the
payees.
For Keystone
Velocity, a 9-year-old son of Western Hanover co-owned (as Allard Racing) by
(trainer) Rene Allard, Kapildo Singh, Earl Hill Jr. and VIP Internet Stable, it
was his fourth win (as the fourth choice) in nine seasonal starts. The exacta
paid $55, the triple returned $152.50 and the superfecta paid $2,021.
Yonkers
returns to Sunday matinees tomorrow (June 18th), with a first post
of 12:30 PM.
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