YONKERS, NY, Friday, May 17, 2013--Yonkers Raceway's pair of Friday night $46,000 Open Handicaps--for either-gender trotters and distaff pacers--were won by Blacktuxwhitesocks (George Brennan, $3.30) and a repeating Royal Cee Cee N (Eric Goodell, $8.80).
The featured trot took on a different look when early choice Imperial Count was
a judges' defection. That moved the people's affections to veteran statebred
Blacktuxwhitesocks, and the 3-5 favorite had to earn it.
A three-deep Traverse Seelster (Goodell) worked around Lorenzo Dream (Jim
Pantaleano), making the lead before a :28.1 opening quarter-mile. At the
58-second intermission, "Blacktux"--leaving from post position No. 5
(in one notch after that scratch)--began his mission.
He engaged Traverse Seelster through a testing :27.4 third quarter (1:25.4),
with the latter hanging on to a short lead entering the lane. However, with
Blacktuxwhitesocks as relentless as "Traverse" was game, the fave did
gut it out, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.2...fastest local
trot mile of the season and a tick off his (and Archangel's) all-age
standard.
Monsignor Flan (Brent Holland), Lorenzo Dream and Perfect Rendition (Larry
Stalbaum) rounded out the payees.
Blacktuxwhitesocks, a 6-year-old Credit Winner gelding trained by Trond
Smedshammer for owner Purple Haze Stables, is now 1-for-5 this season (career
earnings just under $875,000). The exacta paid $13.80. with the triple
returning $43.40
The feature saw the lasses sort themselves out in numerical order, with
pole-assigned Unred Hanover (Mark MacDonald) throwing down the gauntlet to the
tune of a :26.4 quarter and :56.1 half.
Handsoffmycookie (Dan Dube), as the just over even-money favorite, then took up
the chase from fourth, with Royal Cee Cee N--from post No. 5--in behind.
"Unred" maintained an open lead in and out off the 1:24
three-quarters, taking a 2 1/2-length lead out of the final turn,
However, "Cookie" and Royal Cee Cee N continued to close, with Royal
Cee Cee N wearing down the leader late. She won by three-quarters of a length
in 1:52.3. Unred Hanover held second over Handsoffmycookie, while Marie's Z Tam
(Brennan) and Ginger and Fred (Matt Kakaley) settled for the remainder
For second choice Royal Cee Cee N, a 7-year-old Down Under daughter of
Christian Cullen owned and trained by Mark Harder, it was her third win in nine
'13 tries (career earnings over $815,000). The exacta paid $43.20, the triple
returned $100 and the superfecta paid
$716.
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post
every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening
simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon
simulcasting--including Saturday's Preakness Stakes card from
Pimlico--available around the NYRA schedule.
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