BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, May 5, 2018—The
fifth night of the fifth month found Mark MacDonald putting forth his own the
Cinco de Mayo festivities, with five winners during Yonkers Raceway’s dozen
races.
Cinco de MacDonald, indeed.
MacDonald’s Saturday (May 5th)
quintet was highlighted by Western Fame ($14) in the co-featured $40,000 Open
Handicap Pace.
After backpedaling out of the pocket in
the final of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series a fortnight ago, the
homebred showed no ill-effects here.
Caught three-wide early from post position
No. 4, Western Fame made the lead after a contentious :26.2 opening
quarter-mile. He then rated a :29.2 next subsection (:55.4 intermission), which
ended up serving him well as 11-10 choice Somewhere in L A (Jason Bartlett)
came to visit.
That one moved from fourth, but only into
a 28-second third quarter (1:23.4). Western Fame opened a length into the lane,
then held sway in 1:52.2, his fastest purse win time of the season. Second went
to a second-up Gratian Hanover (Joe Bongiorno), who closed resolutely but
missed a neck.
Somewhere in L A, Windsong Leo (George
Brennan) and Roland N Rock (Brent Holland) came away with the small envelopes.
For third choice Western Fame, a
5-year-old son of Western Ideal owned by Brittany Farms and trained by Jimmy
Takter, it was his third win in seven seasonal starts. The exacta paid $92.50,
with the triple returning $358.50.
MacDonald’s five-bagger began as favored We Think Alike
($4.10) won the $20,000 fourth-race pace (1:53). Sunfire Blue Chip ($4) handily
went the distance in the $25,000, ninth-race pace (1:52.4), then odds-on fave
Artful Way did the same in the $20,000, 10th-race pace (1:53).
The subject then won the $20,000 pacing finale with an
off-the-pace Swing City ($9.40) in a season’s-best 1:52.2
One race that eluded MacDonald was the
co-featured $40,000 Open Handicap Trot, where odds-on Fearless Man ($3.70)
repeated in facile fashion.
From post No. 6, he finished what he
started (:28.3, 58.4, 1:27,
season’s-best 1:56).
For Fearless Man, an 8-year-old Elegant Man gelding trained
by Andrew Harris for co-owners Rick Zeron Stables, Murray Greenfield, Noblock
and Cool Cat Racing, it was his fifth win in 13 seasonal efforts.
