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Saturday, November 17, 2018

DON’T THINK TWICE A WINS FRIDAY NIGHT 44G DISTAFF DERBY

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Friday, November 16, 2018—Favored Don’t Think Twice A (Jason Bartlett, $3.70) picked up where her Aussie countrywoman left off Friday night (Nov. 16th), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
Two-moving—from post position No. 5—to the lead by a :27.1 opening quarter-mile, Don’t Think Twice A took over from Call Me Queen Be (Joe Bongiorno). The people’s preference then rated a :56.3 intermission before pole-sitting Delaware interloper Apple Bottom Jeans (Jim Marohn Jr.) moved from third.
That lass offered only mild intrusion in and out of a 1:24.2 three-quarters as Don’t Think Twice A widened to 2¼ lengths off the final turn. She finished it off, whipped a second-over Lispatty (Matt Kakaley) by a couple of lengths in a life-best 1:53.
Call Me Queen Be, Apple Bottom Jeans and Lakeisha Hall (George Brennan) rounded out the payees.  
Rockstar Angel A, who had won the last four  editions of this race, was sixth here from an assigned eight-hole.  
For Don’t Think Twice A, a 5-year-old Down Under daughter of Armbro Operative owned by (trainer) Andrew Harris and Arrhythmic LLC, it was her fifth win in 15 seasonal starts (2-for-4 stateside). The exacta paid $19.60, the triple returned $127 and superfecta paid $399.
“I can’t wait to drive her in the Blue Chip (Matchmaker) Series,” Bartlett said, looking about four months down the road.