YONKERS, NY, Saturday, June 1, 2013--Pocket-sitting JK Black Beauty (Brian Sears) took home the ladies loot Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $117,060 Lismore Pace for 3-year-old fillies.
At the outset, it appeared that JK Black Beauty—leaving from post position No.
2--would settle into an early three-hole, behind pole-sitting Mattwestern
(George Brennan) and Handsoffmycupcake (Dan Dube). However, the latter jumped
it off, placing "Black Beauty" in the pocket.
Locally-debuting Mattwestern rated soft enough intervals (:28.4, 57.4), with
only mild, first-up pressure from Offintothesunset (Brent Holland) in and out
of a 1:26.1 three-quarters.
Mattwestern had a length-and-a-half lead entering the lane, but was done soon
thereafter. JK Black Beauty ducked in and went by a tiring leader, winning by a
half-length in a parimutuel-best 1:54.1. Freetime (Jordan Stratton), coupled
with "Cupcake" as the Scott DiDomenico-trained 3-2 favored entry,
closed inside for second, with Offintothesunset crossing the line third.
However, that one was set to down to fifth for stretch interference with Aria J
(Brett Miller), moving Mattwestern from fourth to third and Aria J was fifth to
fourth.
Handsoffmycupcake and Give Me an Amen (Jason Bartlett) completed the order,
reduced by one when Live Entertainment was scratched-sick early in the night.
For JK Black Beauty, a statebred daughter of Bettor's Delight trained by
Linda Toscano for owner 3 Brothers Stables, she returned $9.70 (third choice)
for her first win in two seasonal starts. (3-for-4 lifetime). The exacta paid
$20.80, with the triple returning $46.80.
"I had a lot of confidence in my filly and George's filly looked like she
was up on the bit a little bit and taking me where I needed to go," Sears
said. "Luckily, my filly was able to get up at the head of the lane.
"Honestly, she was flat in her (Meadowlands) qualifier last week, but she was much more alert tonight."
