BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, February 22,
2020—The next time Melady’s Monet (George Brennan, $3.90) throws in a bad race
would probably be the first time Melady’s Monet throws in a bad race.
It was career win No 63 (in start
No. 207) for ‘Melady’ Saturday night (Feb. 22nd), taking down
Yonkers Raceway’s $35,000 Preferred Handicap Trot.
Melady’s Monet—the odds-on favorite from
assigned post position No. 7—left around both Lean Hanover (Jim Marohn Jr.) and
Smalltownthrowdown (Dan Dube). Once on the point, Melady’s Monet finished what
he started (:27.2, :57.3, 1:26,
season’s-best 1:54.3). Pappy Go Go (Jason Bartlett) tried it first-up from last
among those trotting, but tired.
Meanwhile,
Melady’s Monet owned a pair of lengths in and out of the final turn, then
whipped Lean Hanover by a length. Third went to Mostinterestingman (Austin
Siegelman), with Smalltownthrowdown and Money Maven (Brent Holland) rounding
out the payees.
For Melady’s
Monet, an 11-year-old homebred Revenue S gelding owned by Melady Enterprises
and trained by Hermann Heitmann, it was his second win in seven seasonal starts
(career earnings in excess of $1.63 million). The exacta paid $17.80, with the
triple returning $101.50.
Saturday
night’s $40,000 Open Handicap Pace saw outsider Tookadiveoffdipper (Jordan
Stratton, $37.80) beat both the gate and his half-dozen rivals.
From post No.
6, Tookadiveoffdipper left to immediate command, well before a :27.1 opening
quarter-mile. Season-debuting Mac’s Jackpot (Holland), as the 19-10 second
choice, was able to get into a chasmic pocket. It was an antsy two-hole
that ‘Mac’ tried to vacate between a :56.2 intermission and 1:24
three-quarters.
However,
Tookadiveoffdipper stood his ground, taking a length-and-a-three-quarter lead
into the lane. He held Mac’s Jackpot at bay, the final margin a half-length in
a ’20-best 1:52.2. San Domino A (Dube), the 17-10 choice was a belated third,
with Jack’s Legend N (Bartlett) and Rockapelo (Brennan) settling for the
smaller envelopes.
For sixth
choice Tookadiveoffdipper, a 6-year-old Always a Virgin gelding co-owned by
Jane &Mark Cross and trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., it was his third win in
six ’20 tries. The exacta paid $92, the triple returned $433 and the superfecta
paid $850.
Saturday
props as well to 12-year-old, $1.4 million number Great Vintage (Holland
$8.30), who earned his 53rd career win in the $22,000, fourth-race
pace (1:53.1).
