YONKERS,
NY, Friday, August 3, 2012--Yonkers Raceway's usual Friday night pair of
$44,000 Open Handicaps--for trotters and distaff pacers, respectively--were won
by E L Rock (George Brennan, $53.50) and Keeper's Destiny (Brennan, $10).
One doesn't normally associate Brennan with 25-1 rank outsiders, but such was
the circumstance here. Assigned inside his seven rivals, E L Rock sat loosely
pocketed to the only leaver in Sing Jesse Sing (Jason Bartlett). That one loped
along through early intervals of :28.2 and :58.
Looking Hanover (Mark MacDonald) tried it first-up as the 13-10 favorite, but
never came close. All the while, "Jesse" maintained the advantage in
and out of the 1:26.4 three-quarters, taking a two-length lead into the lane.
However, his hopes and dreams were about to come crashing down. E L Rock closed
ranks and easily went by, holding off a fast-closing KLM Express (Jim Marshall
III) by a length-and-a-quarter in 1:56. Bastille (Larry Stalbaum), Looking
Hanover and Second Hand News (Jim Pantaleano) completed the cashers, as Sing
Jesse Sing faded to sixth.
MM's Lucky Boy (Brent Holland), in search a third consecutive featured trot
win, was a non-factor seventh from his assigned eight-hole.
For E L Rock, a 4-year-old Yankee Glide gelding trained by Annette Lorentzon
for Acl Stuteri Ab, it was his fifth win in nine seasonal starts. The exacta
paid $300.50, with the triple returning $2,830.
Brennan finished off a sweep of the Friday co-features with an off-the-pace
Keeper's Destiny in 1:52.3.
Ordered out to penultimate post position No. 7, Keeper's Destiny sat early as
first Ace of Pace (Stalbaum), then Shaky Hanover (Dan Dube), took turns leading
the parade (:27.1, :55.4). Red Star Hottie (Bartlett) offered a serious
challenge before and after the 1:23.4 three-quarters, with Summer Snow (Jordan
Stratton) second-up and Keeper's Destiny third-over.
The front end was about to cave off the final turn, while Keeper's Destiny was
moving widest and fastest. Closing from fifth, she whipped a from-next-to-last
Naughtytiltheend (Holland) by a length-and-a-quarter, with Summer Snow, tepid
2-1 fave Feeling You (birthday boy Eric Goodell) and Ace of Pace coming away
with the minor moolah.
For third choice Keeper's Destiny, a 6-year-old daughter of Intrepid Seelster
owned by Merlin Howse and trained by Casie Coleman (also the co-breeders), it
was her sixth win in 18’12 tries. The exacta paid $37.40, the triple returned
$241 and the superfecta paid $1,296.
The Raceway continues its normal five-night-per-week live schedule, with first
post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening
simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting
available around the NYRA schedule.
