YONKERS,
NY, Friday, July 5, 2013--Yonkers Raceway’s Friday night fare featured the
$291,475 New York Sire Stakes Armand Palatucci Pace for 3-year-old colts and
geldings.
Three divisions--worth $96,025, $97,725
and $97,725, respectively—went at it.
The opening group saw Bet the Moon (Jim Morrill Jr.) last on the lead in a life-best effort. In play from post position No. 4, Bet the Moon led the lads through fractions of :27.1, 56.1, 1:24.1 and 1:52.4. Bettor Than You (George Brennan), as the 3-4 favorite, played the role of first-up chaser, only to miss a head. Third went to Scalped (Brian Sears), never a threat to the leading pair.
For second choice Bet the Moon, a son of Bettor’s Delight owned by Edwin Gold and trained by Ron Burke, he returned $6.20 for his second (sire stakes) win in six seasonal starts. The exacta paid $12, with the triple returning $27.20.
The middle event figured to be enticing, and it did not disappoint. Odds-on Fool Me Once (Scott Zeron) left to the lead from post No. 5, putting up intervals of :27.3 and 55.4. He then had his own private battle with a first-up Captive Audience (Sears) in and out of a 1:23.4 three-quarters.
Neither was giving in, with the former holding off the latter by a nose in 1:51.3 (last quarter :27.4)…a fair effort from two colts, neither of whom who had never been over a half-mile track before. Doctor Butch (Brennan), the Rooney winner, was a best-of-the-rest third, beaten 2½ lengths.
For Fool Me Once, an Art Major colt co-owned by (trainer) Mark Austin and Daniel Smith, he returned $2.40 for his sixth win in eight seasonal starts. The exacta paid $4.80, the triple (three wagering choices in order) returned $14 and the superfecta (Hail the Taxi [Jordan Stratton] was fourth) paid $38.20.
“Anytime you make a first start on a half, you’re always a bit concerned,” Zeron said. “I wanted to leave, but at the same time be cautious. When (Captive Audience) moved alongside down the back, he actually put a head in front, but my colt dug in.
"They’re just two very game horses.”
The third division saw someone have to
go and get rewrite after Source of Pride (Sears, $2.90) scribbled his name in
the track record book as the fastest soph pacing colt ever.
That happened after a 1:50.4 Westchester waltz (:26.3, :54, 1:21.4) from post No. 2 earned him a three-quarter length victory over a closing Olde Time Hockey (Morrill Jr.). Third went to Track Master D (Jason Bartlett).
“He was very impressive,” Sears said. “He did it on his own. He was getting tired late, but I never thought he was going to get beat.”
Ironically, Sears’ name was conjoined to the old record-holder, Pet Rock’s 1:51 effort in last season’s Art Rooney Pace.
For Source of Pride, a son of American Ideal trained by Jimmy Takter for co-owners (breeder) Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld and Louie Camara, he’s now 4-for-9 this season. The exacta paid $5.40, with the triple (again, three wagering choices in order) returning $17.40.
The second round of Yonkers’ "Jackpot Next Door" Claiming Series featured seven races (five for lads, two for lasses), identical to a week ago (“second verse, same as the first”)…only this time, any claim on a horse’s second series start was accompanied by a 50-percent premium, in addition to normal allowances for age and gender.
After 139 claims were entered on 25 different horses in the first round, this week’s tally—authorized by claims commissar Bob (OUTP) Miecuna--showed a total of 22 slips filled out on seven different horses.
The five-Friday series offers a $20,000 purse for each prelim race. The finals,
worth $76,000 (boys) and $59,900 (girls), and their requisite consolations, are
scheduled for July 26th.
Yonkers' pair of Friday night $46,000 co-featured Open Handicaps--for trotters and distaff pacers--were won by Somebody AS (Jeff Gregory, $25.20) in a life-best 1:55, and Royal Cee Cee N (Stratton, $7.10) in 1:52.4.
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 available around the NYRA schedule.
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