Paul Minore planted Mufasa As on the point and took his peers pillar to post in the $28,169 North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) Fall Series Final at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Leaving from post three, Minore secured the lead in the field scratched to five before a :30.1 first quarter and endured first-over pressure following from Buzz (driven by Andrew Adamczyk), who plugged forward on the rim while recovering from a break after the start. Buzz stalled in the death seat after a 1:01.2 half but stayed to apply slight flanking pressure on the march to three-quarters in 1:31.1. Mufasa As remained on the muscle off the soft tempo and spun for home to hold a 1-1/4-length advantage at the end of a 2:01.4 mile. Bacardi (Bruce Baker) sat a pocket trip for second while Ima Standup Guy (Joe Faraldo) saved ground to take third. Buzz settled for fourth and Winneress (Anthony Verruso) checked in last of the five.

Mark Ford owns and trains Mufasa As, an eight-year-old gelding by Lionhunter.

The NAADA Fall Series Final was contested as a non-betting race prior to the pari-mutuel card.

Stormont Divide's 1:56 victory in the featured $49,296 Invitational Trot on Thursday, Nov. 21 at MGM Yonkers Raceway made him the fourth non-favourite to score in Thursday night's Pick 5, and as a result, no winning tickets were held in the sequence. That means when racing resumes on Friday, Nov. 22 there will be a $4,080.58 carryover and a $15,000 guaranteed pool in the Pick 5.

The guarantee in the Pick 5 is being offered as part of the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. Free past performances for the Pick 5, courtesy of TrackMaster, will be available at handicapping.ustrotting.com. The Pick 5, which begins in race five, has a takeout rate of 20 percent.

Next week, MGM Yonkers Raceway will host programs on just Monday (November 25) and Tuesday (November 26) before going dark Wednesday through Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. Otherwise, MGM Yonkers Raceway is operating on a Monday through Friday live racing schedule with post time each night at 7 p.m. (EST).

(NAADA / Yonkers Raceway)