BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Saturday, March 30, 2019—Seriously, who saw this coming?
Jordan Stratton’s
Saturday night (March 30th) began with a bummer, as former George
Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series winner Bit of a Legend N was scratched with
what trainer Peter Tritton described as “a serious quarter crack. It’s going to
take some time.”
Undaunted,
Stratton won two of the evening’s five, $50,000 third-round events, both with
certified Free-For-All bombardiers.
Here’s what
happened in not quite real-time, with none of the names redacted…
First division—A second-over,
67-1 Pacing Major N (Stratton, $136.50)—from post position No. 3—held off a
third-over, 58-1 The Wall (by Joe Bongiorno) by a half-length in 1:52.3.
The race unfolded
with The Downtown Bus (Scott Zeron), a winner from fourth-over a week ago,
leaping over his six inside rivals to make the first lead. He looped 3-5 favorite
Endeavor (Tim Tetrick), the latter eventually moving past right at the :27.1
opening quarter-mile.
It was a speedy
:55.3 intermission before Beckham’s Z Tam (Jim Marohn Jr.) moved from third.
Pacing Major N latched on to that tow, getting in range by the 1:24.2
three-quarters as Endeavor was being chased along.
Endeavor owned a
diminishing length lead of the final turn, but company was coming. After the
rank outsiders finished 1-2. Major Crocker A (Dan Dube), Endeavor and a
shuffled ‘Bus’ rounded out the payees.
For seventh choice
Pacing Major N, a 6-year-old son of Art Major owned by Von Knoblauch Stables
and trained by Tritton, it was his first board finish in six seasonal
starts/three Levy tries. The exacta paid $1,630, the triple returned $15,607 (both
local exotic highs) and the superfecta paid $16,299 (base $2 ticket, 10-cent
ticket worth $814.95).
Second division—Western Fame
(Dube, $4.20), from post No, 5, went around Dr. J Hanover (Tetrick), then went
the distance (:27.1, :56.2, 1:24.2,
1:51.4). He whipped that pursuer by a comfortable couple of lengths, with Rodeo
Rock (Andrew McCarthy) a first-up third.
Nocturnal Bluechip (Zeron) and Luciano N (Brent Holland)
completed the cashers.
For tepid (by $27)
second choice, a 6-year-old son of Western Ideal owned by Go Fast and B&I Stables, Stephen
Klunowski & Gilbert Short and trained by Rene Allard, it was his
second win in four seasonal tries (2-for-3 in Levy). The exacta paid $28.20,
the triple returned $50 and the superfecta paid $142.50.
Third division—What goes around
comes around.
Last week, JJ
Flynn (George Brennan) was 20-1 went he went up and over an odds-on Western
Fame.
This time, around
10-1 Lyons Steel (Stratton, $22.40)—from post No. 4—went up and over 1-4 JJ
Flynn (Tetrick this week) after that one’s early intervals of :27 and :55.3.
Lyons Steel then
threw down a :26.4 third quarter (1:22.4), opening 4½ lengths in and out of the
final turn. The final margin, over JJ Flynn, was the same 4½ lengths in
1:50.4…fastest local mile of the season and matching his 2019 and
life-best effort.
Control Tower
(Austin Siegelman), Always at My Place (Brennan) and Bellow’s Binge (Jason
Bartlett) settled for the remainder.
For third choice Lyons Steel, a 4-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven
gelding owned by Bryan Dzugan and trained by Dennis Watson, he’s now 2-for-9
this season (1-for-3 in Levy). The exacta paid $76, the triple returned $246.50
and the superfecta paid $572.
“I’ve always thought (Pacing Major N) had the ability, but he
tends to crossfire (hit right rear and left front legs) on the last turn,”
Stratton said. “He didn’t have any problem tonight and the trip couldn’t have
been better.
“I didn’t know anything about (Lyons Steel), other than he’s
beaten my horses a few times here some non-winners races. I just asked him down
the back and he put them away.”
Fourth
division—Pocketed from post No. 2, tepid choice More the Better N (Zeron,
$6.30) stalked pole-sitting leader Anythingforlove A (Bongiorno) through
subsections of :27.4, :56.2 and
1:23.4.
The leader was tiring as More the Better N edged out and went by. He defeated a
second-over I’m Some Graduate (Matt Kakaley) by a half-length in a
season’s-best 1:52.1. Anythingforlove A, Bettor’s Fire (Ron Cushing) and
Duplicated N (Tetrick) were relegated to the minor moolah.
For More the
Better N, a 6-year-old son of Bettor’s Delight owned by Robert Cooper Stables
and trained by Ross Croghan, it was his second win in a pair of seasonal starts
(2-for-3 in Levy). The exacta paid $24.40, the triple returned $149.50 and the
superfecta paid $530.
Fifth division—Pole-sitting
Mac’s Jackpot (Kakaley, $7.30) went first-up from third, disposing of early
(:26.3, :56.1) leader Windsong Leo (Brennan) before that one subsequently
stopped.
‘Mac’ then found a
1:24.1 three-quarters, opened a pair of lengths in the lane, then off a
fast-closing Ideal Jimmy (Holland) by a neck in 1:52.4. Rodeo Romeo (Bartlett),
Rockathon (Marohn Jr.) and Lockton Luck A (Tetrick) picked off the remainder.
For second choice
Mac’s Jackpot, a 5-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding co-owned by Howard &
Michael Ouriel and trained by Jeff Smith. he’s now 1-for-4 this season (1-for-3
in Levy). The exacta paid $33, the triple returned $99 and the superfecta paid
$388.
The series
standings, as dutifully compiled by Bob (OUTP) Miecuna, accompany this release.
Saturday night’s
$44,000 Open Handicap Trot was won by a repeating New Heaven (Stratton, $16.80)
in a season’s-best 1:55.1.
“I hope (trainer)
Eric (Abbatiello) stays at the Meadowlands,” Stratton said a week after he won
this race at 31-1.
