The publicity department for the Grand Circuit has sent out its weekly recap and preview of Grand Circuit races.
This Week: Blue Chip Matchmaker and George Morton Levy series finals and consolations, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, N.Y.
Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Yonkers this week features the $532,000 final and the $100,000 consolation of the George Morton Levy series for open pacers, as well as the $373,000 final and $75,000 consolation in the Blue Chip Matchmaker series for open pacing mares. All four races will take place on Saturday (April 21).
Last time: Yonkers Raceway on Saturday night (April 14) concluded the preliminaries, with the fifth round of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series. A trio of windy, $50,000 events featured many of the best Free-For-Allers in their final shot to be social climbers.
Pole-sitting Long Live Rock (Dan Dube, $16), victimized by a series of bad fortune trips through the series, took matters into his own hooves here. He stuffed his rivals in behind in post position order, then finished his rounds (:27.3, :57.2, 1:25.3, 1:53.3).
Long Live Rock, repelling an early pocket pull by Bettor Memories, owned a one and a half-length lead into the lane. He held off a first-up Western Fame (Mark MacDonald) by a half-length. Missile J (Tim Tetrick) rallied, but lost the place photo as the 6-5 favourite.
For fourth choice Long Live Rock, a nine-year-old Rocknroll Hanover gelding owned and trained by Rene Allard, it was his third win in nine seasonal starts (1-for-5 in series).
Driver and trainer doubled their pleasure as Keystone Velocity (Dube, $4.50), the defending series champ, prevailed in the second division. Winning the draw, he sat pocketed to Evenin Of Pleasure (Joe Bongiorno) and that one’s handiwork of :27.2, :56.2 and 1:24.2.
Keystone Velocity engaged the leader early in the final turn, then went by. He defeated Christen Me N (Tetrick) by one and a half lengths in 1:52.1, with Mach It So (David Miller) third. Evenin Of Pleasure faded to fourth.
For Keystone Velocity, a 10-year-old son of Western Hanover co-owned as Allard Racing by trainer Allard, Kapildeo Singh, Earl Hill Jr. and VIP Internet Stables, it was his first win in five seasonal/series starts.
A down-the-road Killer Martini (Yannick Gingras, $16.40) was quite good in getting off the series schneid in the final division.
From Post 2, he didn’t give much else a shot (:27.1, :56.2, 1:24.2, season’s-best 1:52.4). Opening three and a half lengths in and out of the final turn, Killer Martini defeated a from-last Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton) by three and three-quarter lengths. Dr J Hanover (Brett Miller), as the 4-5 choice, was a conservatively-raced third.
Killer Martini, a six-year-old Camluck gelding owned and trained by Ricky Bucci, is now 3-for-12 this season (1-for-4 in series).
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2018, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farms is the sponsor for the 2018 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders following the past weekend at Yonkers:
Drivers: 1. Tim Tetrick – 109; 2. Jordan Stratton - 89; 3. Yannick Gingras – 79; 4. Jason Bartlett – 77; 5. Daniel Dube - 43.
Trainers: 1. Peter Tritton – 72; 2. Richard Banca – 68; 3. Ron Burke – 66; 4. Jim King Jr. – 49; 5. Rene Allard - 43.
Owners: 1. Vonknoblauch Stable - 62; 2t. Brittany Farms – 25; 2t. Diamond Creek Racing – 25; 4t. Bamond Racing – 24; 4t. Richard Poillucci – 24.
Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next weekend at Freehold Raceway, with $40,000 (est.) Dexter Cup eliminations (if necessary) for three-year-old open trotters on Saturday (April 28).
(Grand Circuit)