For the sixth of July, Jason Bartlett cracked open a six-pack -- of victories.
Yonkers Raceway's leading driver padded that margin last night, rolling a happy half-dozen during the 13-race extravaganza. In fact, all of his wins came in the first eight races.
Bartlett swept the first three races, winning the $18,000, pacing opener with the invader Born With Class ($5.50) in 1:55.1, the $7,500, second-race trot with Maritime interloper Rustico Trisox ($3.20, $13.20 early double) in a life's-best 2:00.1, and the $12,000, third-race pace with another first-time Westchesterite, Roca Rockette ($4.30) in a career-best 1:57.3.
After winding up a pocket second in the fourth race and up the track (seventh) in the fifth, he struck again at a very-un-Bartlett-like 34-1.
Mystical Coin ($70.50) overcame the eight hole to get up on the money in the $12,000, sixth-race trot (2:00.3), that one's first on-the-board finish in four seasonal starts.
Talk Forever ($8.60) went up and over in the $18,000, seventh-race pace (season's-best 1:54.3) before Keystone Nite Hawk (life-beast 1:54.4) was a wire-to-wire winner in the $18,000, eighth-race pace ($13.40).
Bartlett's final five drives of the evening saw him end up eighth, sixth, second, fifth and second. He began the week sixth in North America with 326 '09 wins.
(With files from Yonkers)