BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, May 21,
2016—Yonkers Raceway’s Saturday night $45,000 co-featured Open Handicaps were
brought to us be the letter B.
Ladies First, with Bee a Magician (Brian
Sears, $3.50), who took a overnight rest stop and toyed with her six marquee
trot rivals.
From post No. 6 (in one notch after the
inside number was scratched-sick), Bee a Magician paid a :27.4 price to secure the lead. One she
paid that toll, the rest of the road was essentially a freebie (:57.4; 1:26.4;
1:54.1).
Major Athens (Tyler Buter) pulled pocket
early against the Queen, and all that did was cost him second. That went to
Allerage Star (Dan Dube), with Major Athens, Luminosity (George Brennan) and
Crazy About Pat (Jordan Stratton) grabbing the minor awards. Buen Camino (Jason
Bartlett) was outrun in a mile that ended up being a track record for aged
mares.
For $3.8
million ma’am Bee a Magician, a 6-year-old daughter of Kadabra trained by Nifty
Norman for co-owners Mel Hartman, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee, it was his
third win in as many seasonal starts (lifetime 44-for-68) The exacta paid
$19.80, with the triple returning $64.50.
Then, there
was Bit of a Legend N (Stratton, $3.50), who prevailed from an impossible
locale in the weekly pacing feature. Last among the seven in a pokey race, he
saw Great Vintage (Mark MacDonald) seemingly dawdle (:27, :56.2, 1:24.4) with
Outrageous Art (Bartlett) engaging first-up.
Great Vintage
owned a length lead into the lane, then began to get steppy and tire. In the
interim, Bit of a Legend N was winding up front last and rallying down the
middle of the oval. Sixth turning for home, he was a going-away winner,
defeating Outrageous Art by a length-and-a-quarter in 1:52.1.
Take it Back
Terry (Brennan), Great Vintage and Moonliteonthebeach (Brent Holland) earned
the smaller portions.
For Levy
champ Bit of a Legend N, a 7-year-old Down Under son of Bettor’s Delight owned
by Harry von Knoblauch and trained by Peter Tritton, he’s now 9-for-12 this
season. The exacta paid $26.80, with the triple returning $84.
Saturday’s
card also included a $40,000 elimination for the Art Rooney Pace for
3-year-olds. Missile J (Sears, $2.10, part of entry) won the game of musical
chairs—nine to eliminate one—in 1:53.2. The American Ideal gelding defeated
Rodeo Rock (Dube) by a length-and-three-quarters, with the winner’s entrymate,
Artmagic (Brennan) third.
Joining those
three in next week’s $300,000 final of the 26th Rooney are Manny,
Yankee Artillery, No Shame Blue Chip, Tailgunner Hanover and Tap into Power.
Autotune
Hanover, last season’s winner of the Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace here, was devoid
of pace this night and finished ninth.
Next
Saturday’s Rooney is accompanied by the $100,000 Lismore Pace, which attracted
six 3-year-old fillies. Both open draws take place Tuesday morning.
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