Southern Allie and driver Jim Pantaleano surprised as the longest shot on the board Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $52,000 Open Handicap Pace

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Assigned post position No. 6 and making his first purse start in nearly three months, 'Allie' spectated as Gallant Yankee (Dan Dube) put up early intervals of :27.1 and :55.4. MacRaider N (Jeff Gregory) then moved to challenge by the 1:24, with Southern Allie second-up. Gallant Yankee, with a length lead turning for home, was about to surrender the baton.

Wholly Louy (Pat Lachance) ducked in nearing the 1:51.4 mile marker, with MacRaider N continuing his push and Southern Allie going widest...and fastest. 'Allie' edged past MacRaider N, winning by a half-length while getting the mile-and-one-sixteenth in 1:58.4. 'Louy,' Gallant Yankee and Foreign Officer (Brent Holland) rounded out the payees. Real Nice (Jordan Stratton), last week's winner and this week's 2-1 favourite, made no moves from an assigned eight-hole and wound up seventh.

For 'Allie,' a four-year-old Allies Western gelding trained by Ron Burke for co-owners Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi, he returned $46.40 for his fourth win in 15 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $389, with the triple returning $1,951.

(Yonkers Raceway)