Twinkle Triumphs In Yonkers Open

Yonkers Raceway’s Friday evening Pick 5, buoyed by a carryover of $9,416.12 and a $25,000 guaranteed pool, found some eyeballs.

Some $34,367 of fresh money poured in, easily leapfrogging the minimum and leading to a total pool of $35,191…after takeout and give or take a few pennies.

The combination of 5/2,9/4/8/1 returned $1,050.25 for each correct half-a-buck ticket (in second leg, No. 2 was winning favourite while No. 9 was scratched, with ticket defaulting to favourite).

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager comprising either races 6 through 10 or 7 through 11, depending upon number of race drawn. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Thursday night), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

There’s a built-in $10,000 Pick 5 guarantee every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening.

Friday night’s $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace, which was not part of the Pick 5 sequence, turned into a Tour de Twinkle.

Fourth choice Twinkle (Brent Holland, $14) gave nothing else a shot. Winning the 3-thru-8 post-position draw after about a month of R&R, she blitzed ‘em (:27.1, :56.3, 1:25, 1:53.1) for a first win in nine seasonal starts. Even-money favourite Alexas Power (Jason Bartlett) chased from a loose pocket and saved second—beaten a length-and-three-quarters—with a first-up Rockstar Angel A (Eric Goodell) third.

Gold Orchid N (Austin Siegelman) and Lispatty (Mark MacDonald) picked off the minors.

Twinkle, a six-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight trained by Ross Croghan, is owned by Let it Ride Stables and Dana Parham.

(Yonkers)

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