Odds-on Sally Fletcher A (Jason Bartlett, $2.70) was saved by the wire Friday night (January 12), winning Yonkers Raceway’s first-of-the-season $40,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace.

The auto-drawn field of seven traversed the rain and the wind and the fog, with Sally Fletcher A —
from post position No. 2 — wanting no part of an early seat. The people’s preference worked around polester Scandalicious (Matt Kakaley), making the lead just after a :27.1 opening quarter-mile.

It was a :56.4 intermission when Best Of Jenna (Dan Dube) took out of third. She was chugging along toward a 1:25 three-quarters, never getting that close to the leader.

Sally Fletcher A owned a length-and-a-quarter lead into the lane, but she wasn’t out of the wet woods. Scandalicious edged from the pocket, while a ground-saving Sell A Bit N (Jordan Stratton) moved crisply along the cones.

However, Sally Fletcher A did get the line when she needed it, nipping Sell A Bit N by a head in 1:55. Scandalicious was photoed for second, while Sassa Hanover (George Brennan) and Truth And Liberty (Greg Merton) rounded out the payees.

For Sally Fletcher A, a five-year-old Down Under daughter of American Ideal owned by Blindswitch Racing Stable and trained by Al Annunziata, her local and 2018 debut was a fifth win in six North American tries. The exacta paid $26.20, with the triple returning $90.

Friday’s Pick 5, buoyed by a double carryover in excess of $15,000 ($15,113.25, to be exact) and a $40,000 guaranteed pool, attracted $44,637 of fresh lettuce. After new-money takeout, an approximate pool of $48,591 was divvied up.

The winning combination of 1-2-3-1-1 returned $759 for each correct half-a-buck wager.

(Yonkers Raceway)