Yonkers Opens To Zooming, Royal Cee Cee N
Yonkers Raceway's Friday night $37,000 co-featured Open Handicaps - Pace for the ladies and a Trot for all duly authorized - were won by a pointed-to-the-passing lane Royal Cee Cee N a two-move Zooming.
Late to the dance in her last two starts, Royal Cee Cee N was in this game at the outset. Making the first lead from post position five with Brian Sears at the lines, the 3-10 choice gave it up to last week's winner, Rock N Load right at the :27.1 opening quarter-mile. After a cheap, :29-second next interval (:56.1 half), Marty Party moved from fourth, with Ginger And Fred in behind.
It was Rock N Load leading in the out of the 1:24.3, up a length entering the lane. The people's choice was all dressed up in her after-Hallowe’en best, waiting for her close-up. She ducked inside, went past the lead and getting the best of a wide Ginger And Fred by a head 1:53.2.
Third went to Rock N Load, with Mary Party and Dawns Legacy grabbing the minor moolah.
For Royal Cee Cee N, a seven-year-old Down Under daughter of Christian Cullen owned and trained by Mark Harder, it was her eighth win in 25 seasonal starts. She paid $2.60.
The weekly trotting feature saw Zooming, from post four (in one notch after an inside defection), made a second move to work around Lorenzo Dream. Zooming made the lead before a :27.3 opening two furlongs, then rated a comfy :57.4 half. It was 3-2 choice DWs NY Yank, who had left into a three-hole, moving again.
Meanwhile, Zooming maintained the lead through the 1:26 three-quarters, widening to 2-1/2 lengths turning for home. He prevailed by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:54.1. Lorenzo held second with a flattening DWs NY Yank, with Whata Winner and Super Manning earning the small change. Returning millionaire Little Brown Fox broke early as the second choice.
For third choice Zooming, a five-year-old Classic Photo gelding trained by Amber Buter for co-owners Stephen Oldford, Oldford Farms and Tyler Buter, he's now 10-for-32 this season. He paid $7.20.
(Yonkers Raceway)