'Wanda' Wins Yonkers Distaff Derby

A first-up Keystone Wanda held sway Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.

Showing no inclination to leave at all from assigned post position No. 2, Keystone Wanda in fact left a chasmic hole for Lispatty (Mark MacDonald) to plotz in front of her. They, and everyone else, saw pole-assigned, 6-5 choice Frost Damage Blues (Jordan Stratton) lead through early intervals of :27.2 and :56.2.

Things seemed comfy when Keystone Wanda moved from third, engaging the leader in and out of a 1:24.2 three-quarters. Despite that bring just a 28-second third substation, the leader was in trouble.

It was Keystone Wanda—in her 200th career start—going by early in the lane for driver Jim Marohn, Jr. as Agent Q (Eric Goodell) was doing her third from third-over. The former whipped the latter by a diminishing head in 1:53.

Lispatty, stuck behind a stopping leader, did get third, with a second-over Magic Forces (George Brennan) and Medusa (Joe Bongiorno) settling for the minors.

For Keystone Wanda, an eight-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere owned (and Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard, it was her seventh win in 29 seasonal starts She paid $12.20 to win.

(Yonkers)

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