YONKERS, NY, Friday, April 24, 2015-Pole-assigned Dune in Red (Tyler Buter, $16.80) held off the cavalry Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's harness racing featured $31,000 Filly and Mare Preferred Handicap Pace
After seeing Fanticipation (Mark MacDonald) grab the first glory, Dune in Red edged from the pocket. The one made the lead just at a :27.3 opening quarter-mile, then rated a :57.3 intermission.
Sweetnsinful (Jason Bartlett) then moved from fourth as the 3-2 favorite, prompting the pace through a brisk :27.4 third quarter (1:25.2). Delightful Dragon (Brian Sears) tried to match strides with Sweetnsinful, but found herself gapping down the backside.
It was Dune in Red widening to 2¼ lengths in and out of the final turn. She would need just about all that margin in a very slow (:29.2) final quarter, before lasting by a neck in 1:54.4. RD IOU and Fanticipation wound up in a dead-heat for second, with a late-arriving Delightful Dragon and Sweetninsful rounded out the payees. The first five finishers were separated by a length-and-a-quarter.
For fifth choice Dune in Red, a 5-year-old daughter of Duneside Perch owned by Hero Stables and trained by Chris Marino, it was her first win four seasonal starts. The exactas paid $30.40 (with RD IOU second) and $160 (with Fanticipation second), with the triples returning $287.50 (RD IOU second) and $448 (Fancipation second).
The Raceway's live season continues Saturday night (post time 7:10 PM), with the sport's two richest races of the season to date-finals of the Blue Chip Matchmaker (purse $261,000) and George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series (purse $529,000)-highlighting a $1.2 million purse card.
GEORGE MORTON LEVY MEM. FINAL – SAT'S 8TH RACE
HN/PP HORSE DRIVER
1/7 MACH IT SO Tim Tetrick
1A/8 P H SUPERCAM Jason Bartlett
2/1 DOMETHATAGAIN Dan Dube
3/2 LUCAN HANOVER Dave Miller
4/3 WINDSONG JACK Eric Carlson
5/4 BEACH MEMORIES Yannick Gingras
6/5 TAKE IT BACK TERRY George Brennan
7/6 POLAK A Brian Sears
BLUE CHIP MATCHMAKER FINAL – SAT'S 6TH RACE
HN/PP HORSE DRIVER
1/1 VENUS DELIGHT Jason Bartlett
1A/7 KRISPY APPLE Tim Tetrick
2/2 YAGONNAKISSMEORNOT Brian Sears
2A/4 CAROLSIDEAL Dan Dube
3/3 FANCY DESIRE Yannick Gingras
4/5 MONKEY ON MY WHEEL Dave Miller
5/6 STRINGS Eric Carlson
6/8 CAMILLE George Brennan
The Raceway's live season continues Saturday night (post time 7:10 PM), with the two richest races of the season to date, finals of the Blue Chip Matchmaker (purse $261,000) and George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series (purse $529,000). After that, it's Monday (7:10 PM), Tuesday (1 PM, $66,500 final of YR/SOA of NY Bonus Trotting Series), then Thursday through Saturday (all at 7:10 PM). Note Sunday matinees are done until November. Evening simulcasting accompanies all night programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.
Frank Drucker