You didn’t have to be a Yonkers Raceway 'sissy' Friday night (July 21), but it didn’t hurt.

HP Sissy (Dan Dube, $9.90) picked off pacesetting Sell A Bit N (Jordan Stratton) late in the lane, winning the weekly $55,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.

The race became a glorified two-speed number, with Sell A Bit N, from post position No. 2, leaving around the pole-dancing HP Sissy. Regil Elektra (Jason Bartlett) landed in a three-hole through early intervals of :27.1 and :56.1.

Regil Elektra made a second move toward the 1:24 three-quarters, but Sell A Bit N owned a length and a half lead into the lane. Despite getting away rather cheaply, she could not stall the lass directly behind her. “Sissy” was anything but, ducked inside and won by a half-length in a life-best 1:52.1.

Sell A Bit N easily held second, with Lispatty (George Brennan) third. Regil Elektra and tepid 5-2 choice I Said Diamonds (Matt Kakaley) settled for the smaller envelopes.

For fourth choice HP Sissy, a four-year-old daughter of Up The Credit owned and bred by Claude Hamel of Ayer's Cliff, Que., and trained by Rene Allard, the win was her seventh in 14 seasonal starts (two-for-two since hitting town). The exacta paid $46, with the triple returned $119.50.

Bartlett, who began the night with 6,997 career victories, went one-for-11 Friday, so the quest for the next milestone continues upstate at Saratoga on Saturday night (July 22).

A friendly reminder from Yonkers Raceway that Saturday evening’s (July 22) Pick 5 wager starts with a carryover of $2,137.14.

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager comprising races seven through 11 during every racing card. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Friday night), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

"Hurricane Hannah" Miller Wins NAADA Trot

There’s an old adage that states ‘it’s hard to keep a good man down’. And that’s usually the case. But the same could be said about “Hurricane Hannah” Miller when she once again stuck it to the boys in a NAADA Trot at Yonkers Raceway on Friday, July 21. The talented miss survived a rough journey with Pine Tab to score a 1:59.4 victory.

It seems that Miss Miller is frequently starting from an outside post position and in her race tonight she had to navigate from post seven on the far outside.

But feeling that her trotter was up to the task, she sent him for the front but ran into a buzz-saw when Richard Gayton, driving Highest Hill, wouldn’t relinquish command when she came calling. And because of that, they trotted by the first stanza in a swift :27.4 and it wasn’t until both trotters came off the paddock turn side by side did Miller and Pine Tab clear to the lead.

“My horse left [the gate] good but when I got alongside Mr. Gayton I could see he had no intentions of letting me go,” Miller said. “When we finally got the lead, I knew the swift early fractions were going to take a toll later in the race.”

Pine Tab led the field by the halfway point in :58 and was still safely in command when they passed the three-quarter pole in 1:29.

However, after rebuffing a challenge by Kelly Walker with Stemilt Touch, Miller and Pine Tab braced for Keenan and John Calabrese, who were sailing along in the catbirds seat during the early going. And although Keenan was fresh, he didn’t have enough to overtake Pine Tab in the deep stretch and Calabrese and his trotter had to settle for second money. Toss Cartwright and Peter Kleinhans, who were in the back of the pack during the early going, got up for the show dough.

“To be honest, my horse was tired as we headed down the stretch and I was so glad for the track change,” Miller said, referring to the recently shortened the homestretch.

Pine Tab, a veteran eight-year-old Cantab Hall gelding is owned by JL Benson Stables and trained by Nick Surick.

Tomorrow night, Miller will compete again when Yonkers Raceway hosts the Billings Series $15,000 East Region #1 Final.

(With files from Yonkers Raceway and NAADA)