BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Saturday, October 13, 2012--Or (Brent Holland), assigned the inside as the
wagering outsider, picked off favored Code Word (Jason Bartlett) Saturday
night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $44,000 Open Handicap Pace.
Code Word, last week's wire-to-wire winner and this week's 9-10 favorite, had
few issues making the lead from post position No. 6. After a :27.2 opening
quarter-mile and :56.2 intermission, P H Jackpot (George Brennan) moved
from fourth. That one challenged the leader through the 1:24.4 three-quarters
before being summarily dismissed.
Meanwhile, Code Word looked comfy with a two-length lead into the lane. However,
Or popped the pocket and closed steadily, snapping the people's choice by a
half-length in 1:52.4. Iwannarace Hanover (Jordan Stratton), Aussie Reactor A
(Eric Goodell) and Great Vintage (Jeff Gregory)
rounded out the payees.
For Or, a 6-year-old Western Terror gelding owned by T R Stables and trained by
Mike Temming, he returned $35.20 for his fifth win in 23 seasonal starts. The
exacta paid $126.50, with the triple returning $751.
Special Saturday mentions to $1.2 million earner Real Nice (Stratton, $2.30),
whose win in the $33,500, seventh-race pace (1:53) was the 40th
of his career (including the 2011 final of the George Morton Levy
Memorial Pacing Series) .
Another millionaire, the 10-year-old gelding Silent Swing (Mark MacDonald,
$6.80), had win No. 61 (in start 226), going the distance in the $36,000,
eighth-race pace (1:52.2).
Also, a salute to driver Steve Smith and
trainer Karen Garland, who swept the popular ($7.30) early double with Down Under
veterans High Octane N ($3.70) and Forest Vic A ($4.10). The latter, a
13-year-old gelding moving toward $800,000 lifetime, won his 46th career race
in his 251st lifetime start.
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.
